Mega cricket event to be held from mid July

Kashmir Premier League

Srinagar, May 20: A cricket carnival, Kashmir Premier League, Twenty20 cricket tournament would be held in various districts of the Valley from mid-July.Aimed at exploring the enormous talent of the Valley cricketers, the mega event would be played on the pattern of Indian Premier League. The registration process is currently on and the event is expected to kick-start by mid-July. Launched by Kashmir Newsline, a Srinagar based English daily, the tournament has evoked widespread response. “Valley has got tremendous cricketing talent, but unfortunately that gets unnoticed as players get a few opportunities to show their talent. Though J&K Cricket Association organizes number of tournaments, its reach is not that wide and most of players are left behind,” said, KPL Chief Executive Officer, Shabir Hussain Buchh.“The KPL would not only help the budding cricketers, but would also provide a platform in finding out potential cricketers. We’ll shortlist talented players and would arrange coaching for them in cricket academies outside state,” Buchh said.The tournament is yet to start and organizers have already received tremendous response from hundreds of teams from far-flung areas. The matches would be held in all districts of the Valley and from each district 10 teams will qualify for the main event to be held in Srinagar.“The matches will be held in best available grounds and the facility for teams participating would be of highest standards,” he said.Asked about the involvement of JKCA in the event, Shabir said, “We don’t want to organize it on our own. We want to work along with JKCA and for that we have already sent them a proposal. The event requires manpower and expertise.”As part of its promotional input, KPL has already registered a website and is planning to bring out a monthly magazine Kashmir Premier League to cover the KPL matches. “At KPL website (www.kashmirpremierleague.com), our prospective finds would be projected so that they are noticed not only regionally, but globally as well. This would indeed give our youth a chance to make it to the national and international levels,” he added. The event has already attracted number of sponsors, “People here are ready to promote sports activities. Number of corporate houses have contacted us and are ready to sponsor the event,” he said.

Published Greater Kashmir on May 21-2009 http://greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=21_5_2009&ItemID=7&cat=4