The inaugural tournament of the newly established Kashmir Premier League (KPL) is going to start from July 4 in the valley of Kashmir. The one month long event will have 14 teams that hail from 10 districts of the valley. The opening T20 game will be played between Srinagar Sher Dil and Badgam Badshahs.
The tournament has been designed by the Indian army, which is occupying the valley, in order to pacify the public and reduce anti-India protests.
Kashmir has been fighting for freedom from Indian domination since 1947. The valley is a disputed territory between India and Pakistan.
An army statement reveals, “The first phase of the tournament was conducted in May and June with 193 teams from across the valley taking part. There were over 300 matches at the intra-district level. The best 14 district teams were selected for the final phase”.
It further tells, “The second phase of the summer slam promises to be the biggest extravaganza Kashmir has ever seen. The major districts of Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag, and, Badgam will be fielding two teams each while the districts of Kupwara, Bandipur, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, and, Ganderbal will field a team each”.
The 14 teams in the tournament will compete for Chinar Cup. The winning side will get a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, while the runner-up is to get Rs 3 lakhs. The top three players of the tournament will have a chance to get training in the top cricket academies of India.
The tournament will be a major breakthrough for the promotion and development of cricket in the war-hit valley. As is it going to be the first ever T20 event in Kashmir, a large number of viewers are expected to come watch.
After the thumping success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which started in 2008, T20 leagues are rapidly mushrooming in the Subcontinent. Sri Lanka has formed a Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL), so has Bangaldesh, while Pakistan is planning to formulate Pakistan Premier League (PPL).
Analysts believe that the credit of all these developments goes to the IPL, which is the pioneer in Asia.
