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KSCA evades stalwarts' bouncers

Cricket: Karnataka Premier League: Not mandatory to consult senior pros on tournaments, say association bigwigs
Last Updated 05 August 2009, 19:36 IST
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“They are iconic players and are entitled to voice their opinions. But it is not exactly necessary for us to go to them on conducting any tournament in the State. The President, Secretary and other committee members are responsible for undertaking a tournament of any format, and KPL is no exception. We have been transparent during the entire process,” KSCA President Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar said here while annoucing the eight successful bidders of the KPL franchises.

Former Indian skipper Kumble, who now captains Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, had opined that the influx of corporates in KPL could take the focus away from the game while filling the State Association with people not passionate about cricket, but KSCA Secretary Brijesh Patel disagreed with the argument. “If that is the case, it should be applied to the IPL as well, isn’t it? Then why is the Board of Control for Cricket in India having the IPL?” he asked.

Former India pacer Srinath had also voiced his concerns about KPL, mainly focusing on the ill effects huge amounts of money can have on youngsters. “I don’t think the money KPL offers has as many zeroes as it has in IPL The amount of Rs 30000 or so is not a big amount, and the players can buy some new kit with the money. The KPL can also give them a lot of exposure -- personally and skill-wise, as they play under lights using white balls in front of a good crowd,” Patel said.  The former India batsman also added that T20 was the way forward for cricket. “I am sure both Anil and Srinath has no objection about T20. I think it is the way forward and even the BCCI conducts a T20 tournament like Mushtaq Ali tournament,” he said.

Winners delighted

The successful bidders will have to wait one more day for their bids to get the final seal of approval but that did not prevent the triumphant parties from starting their celebrations.

“It is a matter of pride and joy for us to win the Mangalore franchise, especially because we are from that region. Now our focus is on assembling a good team, which we can hopefully do during the players’ auction (August 15),” Moinuddin Bawa of Fizza Developers, who bagged the Mangalore franchise, said.

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(Published 05 August 2009, 19:36 IST)

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