a day ago
- Entertainment
- United News of India
KCA aims to make KCL India's most popular domestic league
Thiruvananthapuram, July 15 (UNI) Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is all set to unveil a comprehensive five-year master plan aimed at transforming the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) into the most popular domestic twenty-twenty league in the country.
This plan is designed to take over the Tamil Nadu Premier League in popularity and reach at the first position. The initiatives will focus not only on raising the standard of the game but also on drawing larger crowds to stadiums and gaining global attention through broadcast strategies.
Indian cricketer Sanju Samson's return is expected to be the biggest attraction of KCL Season 2. KCA President Jayesh George remarked that Sanju's presence, after skipping the previous season, significantly increases the league's brand value and will help attract more viewers.
Unlike the first season, this time major changes have been made in broadcasting rights to boost the league's promotion. All matches of the second season will be broadcast live on Asianet Plus.
In addition, the games will be made available on major sports network Star Sports and the OTT platform FanCode. In the first season only the opening and final matches were broadcasted but now all matches will be broadcasted.
The viewership of 3.4 million through Asianet Plus alone has given KCA strong confidence. KCA now plans to expand broadcast reach in the coming years to bring the league to an even wider audience.
Plans are also underway to establish fan parks in every district and even outside Kerala, and to include entertainment events during matches.
The KCA has stated that special tour packages will be introduced as part of cricket tourism to allow fans from other states to watch the matches live. The digital footprint will also be strengthened with an enhanced social media presence to engage fans online.
Celebrities, national-level cricketers, and IPL franchise management officials will be invited as special guests to the matches, which KCA believes will increase the star appeal and media attention of the league.
KCA also intends to give equal importance to women's cricket alongside the men's league. According to KCA Secretary Vinod S Kumar, a Women's KCL will be launched within one or two seasons.
As a prelude, a special logo for the women's league will be released this season. Last season, three women worked as umpires during the matches. This was an important first step taken by KCA to show their support for women's involvement in cricket and to promote gender equality in the sport.
To elevate KCL to a premier league, KCA is also considering increasing the number of teams, raising the team auction amount , and ensuring better remuneration for players.
Currently, each franchise can spend up to Rs 50 lakh in the player auction, and steps are being taken to raise this limit. The appointment of superstar Mohanlal as the brand ambassador has also boosted the glamour and appeal of the league. Such measures are aimed at attracting even greater public attention.
KCA also plans to invest the league's revenue in scouting and nurturing better talent by providing them with quality training facilities. Discussions are on to conduct similar leagues at the district level to identify young and emerging players.
After Season 2, a detailed review will be conducted to finalize the implementation roadmap. With these initiatives, KCA firmly believes that KCL can be transformed into the most powerful and popular domestic cricket league in India within the next five years.
UNI DS AAB ARN
