Kerala’s own T20 premier league coming soon

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Kerala will soon have its own cricket league on the lines of the immensely popular Indian Premier League (IPL). The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) on Friday announced that the franchise model cricket league will be conducted in the Twenty20 format and will begin in September.

A total of six teams will compete in the state premier league which will be held under the rules and regulations of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The event will begin as soon as the Twenty20 cricket league in the neighbouring Karnataka concludes.

“We will call for expression of interest from franchisees next week. A base price of Rs 1 crore has been fixed for the franchisees to participate in the bidding process,” KCA president Jayesh K George said.

The matches will be telecast on Star Sports 2, and in its HD format as well, Jayesh said.

Digital streaming of matches is also being planned. The proposed state league will be held over a period of 19 days, including two reserve days, in which six teams will play a total of 33 matches.

The matches are planned to be held at The Sports Hub at Kariavattom, which has hosted many international cricket matches. According to officials of the Kerala Cricket Association, the matches are scheduled to be held at 3pm and 7pm.