Latest news with #KCL
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Kerala will have India's best sports facilities in five yrs: Min
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala will become the state with the best basic sports facilities in the country within the next five years, Sports Minister V Abdurahiman has said. He was speaking at the launch of the second Kerala Cricket League (KCL) at the Nishagandhi Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. With Kerala cricket going through a crucial phase, the minister said efforts are under way to elevate the sport to the desired level. Abdurahiman also unveiled the KCL mascots -- Bat-wielding Tusker, Hornbill, and Chakyar. Star player Sanju Samson said KCL will be the best platform for Kerala players to showcase their prowess. 'The talent and potential of Kerala's players is now a topic of discussion even in the Indian team's dressing room,' Sanju said. He also expressed the hope that KCL will become one of the best domestic cricket leagues. Actor Keerthy Suresh, the co-owner of the Trivandrum Royals, said the rise of female cricketers from the state is a reflection of the talent available in Kerala. Kerala Ranji Trophy star Salman Nisar released the league's fan jersey by handing it over Sanju.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Kerala Cricket League Season 2 to be launched on July 20
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Cricket League (KCL) second season will be launched in the state capital on Sunday. Sports Minister V Abdurahiman will inaugurate the event and unveil the official mascots of the league at Nishagandhi Auditorium. Cricketers Sanju Samson and Salman Nisar will launch the fan jerseys for the season during the ceremony. Abdurahiman will also flag off the KCL Trophy Motorcade, which will travel across the state to promote the tournament. The event will be attended by Vattiyoorkavu MLA V K Prasanth, KCA officials, including president Jayesh George, franchise owners, including Priyadarshan, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Keerthy Suresh and T S Kaladharan, among others. The launch will be followed by a live performance by the music band Agam. As part of the tournament promotions, a trophy tour will also be conducted across seven districts.
United News of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- United News of India
Federal Bank Kerala Cricket League Season 2 launch today
Thiruvananthapuram, July 20 (UNI) The grand launch of Federal Bank Kerala Cricket League (KCL) Season 2 will be held today. Kerala Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman will officially inaugurate the event at Nishagandhi Auditorium at 5:30 pm. As part of the ceremony, the Minister will unveil the official mascots of KCL in front of a packed audience comprising cricket fans, invited guests, and the general public. The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) has announced a public contest to name the mascots, with special prizes for the winning entries. Adding to the excitement, star cricketer Sanju Samson and emerging player Salman Nisar will launch the official fan jerseys for Season 2. A special video tribute featuring Salman Nisar's helmet, symbolic of Kerala's historic entry into the Ranji Trophy final, will also be screened during the event. The Minister will then flag off the KCL Trophy Motorcade, which will travel across Kerala as part of the league's promotional campaign. Following the official proceedings, popular music band 'Agam' will take the stage for a live performance starting at 8:30 pm. Admission to the launch event and the concert is free for the public. The function will also be attended by V.K. Prasanth MLA, KCA President Jayesh George, Secretary Vinod S. Kumar, KCL Council Chairman Nazir Machan, and other KCA members. Franchise owners including Priyadarshan, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Keerthy Suresh, Jose Thomas Pattara, Shibu Mathai, Riyaz Adam (Adani Trivandrum Royals), Sohan Roy (Aries Kollam Sailors), Subhash George Manuel (Kochi Blue Tigers), Sanju Mohammed (Calicut Globestars), Sajad Seth (Finesse Thrissur Titans), and T.S. Kaladharan, Krishna Kaladharan, Shibu Mathew, and Raphael Thomas (Alleppey Ripples) will also be present. To further promote the league, a trophy tour will be conducted across seven districts; Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kochi, Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram, from July 21 to August 16. The promotional vehicle will spend four days in each district, featuring events with celebrities, sportspersons, and fan interactions. UNI DS RKM
United News of India
15-07-2025
- 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
The Hindu
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Promising youngsters get a raw deal at Kerala Cricket League auction
The player auction for the second season of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) left many junior cricketers in the State disappointed and it raised serious questions about the aim of the fledgling league in promoting talent. Twenty-three players, who represented the State in Cooch Behar Trophy, Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy or Vijay Merchant Trophy, went unsold in the auction. The notable omission being Mohammed Enaan, the India under-19 player currently touring England. Manav Krishna, who was chosen as the Promising Player in the NSK Trophy T20 tournament, also went unsold. Abi Biju, S. Abhiram, Kamil Aboobacker, Kiran Sagar and Rohan Nair were among the players who found no buyers. Of the 49 players registered in Category B with base price of ₹1.5 lakh, only 16 were picked by the teams while 49 out of the 84 players in Category C with a base price of ₹75,000 were traded in the auction. The auction threw up surprises like 42-year-old K.J. Rakesh, who served as junior selector last season, getting picked while many promising youngsters were overlooked. 'The teams splurged money to buy Category A players and exhausted half of their purse. They then looked for cheaper players in Category C, sidestepping Category B players. The KCA made a mistake by not allowing unsold players in Category B to be traded along with Category C players at a reduced base price like it did with Category A players. Most of the coaches of the franchises teams were based abroad and weren't familiar with the local talent,'' said Biju George, former Indian women team's fielding coach and current talent scout of Kolkata Knight Riders. The KCA secretary Vinod S. Kumar admitted the mistake and said the association will make it mandatory for the team to pick a fixed number of Category B players from next season onwards. 'We didn't foresee such a scenario this season. The bidding for Category A players left the teams short of money and some barely managed to buy the minimum number of 16 players. For the next season we are thinking of making it mandatory for the teams to pick up a fixed number of players from Category B and even allowing Category B players to be sold along with Category C players at a reduced price. Those at the auction table should not be parochial. The teams also picked some players who either failed the yo-yo test or missed it. I must admit the bidding wasn't fair on some players. The KCL will have some initial flaws which we will rectify in due course of time,'' said Vinod.
