Kerala Cricket League is a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in State of Kerala in India.[1][2] organised by Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) and sanctioned by Board of Control for Cricket in India.[3][4] and first contested during the 2024 season.[5] It is contested by six teams based in cities around the State's.[6][7][8]
 Official KCL logo | |
| Countries | India |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Kerala Cricket Association |
| Format | Twenty20 |
| First edition | 2024 |
| Next edition | 2025 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin and playoffs |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| TV | Star Sports (Tv) Fancode (internet) |
 2024 Kerala Cricket League | |
History
editIn August 2024, the kerala Cricket League was launched. The league was aimed to make up for the absence of high-profile matches in Kerala every year and to expose talented players from districts.[9][10][11] Mohanlal Has Been Roped In As The Brand Ambassador Of The Tournament.
A Total Of Six Teams Are Going To Participate In The Tournament. These Six Teams Are: Kochi Blue Tigers, Trivandrum Royals, Thrissur Titans, Kollam Sailors, Calicut Globstars and Alleppey Ripples.
The Tournament is scheduled to take place from September 2 to September 18 At The Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
Each team has already picked up one icon player each - Mohammed Azharuddeen (Alleppey Ripples), Rohan S Kunnummal (Calicut Globstars), Basil Thampi (Kochi Blue Tigers), Sachin Baby (Kollam Sailors), Vishnu Vinod (Thrissur Titans) and Abdul Basith (Trivandrum Royals).
The player take place on 10 Aug Saturday where a total of 168 players registered for the auction, with each team allowed to pick a maximum of 20 players.
The six teams play each other twice in the group stages of the competition before the top four sides move to the semi-final stages.
Teams acquire players through an auction as opposed to a draft, making it the second cricket league in the world after the Tami Nadu Premier League to do so. Each team purchases a squad of 20 players, with the opportunity of signing up to five players prior to the auction.
Foundation
editthe KCA announced a franchise based Twenty20 cricket competition known as the Kerala Cricket League. The inaugural season was scheduled to start in September 2024, commencing with a "high-profile ceremony" in Thiruvananthapuram. KCA President Jayesh George, who led the KCL initiative, provided details of the tournament, including its format, prize money, franchise revenue system, and squad composition rules.
To determine team ownership, an auction for the franchises was held on August 2024. The reserve prices for the six franchises totalled $100 million, but the auction ultimately raised $23.59 million. The league officially commenced in August 2024, featuring Kochi Blue Tigers, Trivandrum Royals, Thrissur Titans, Kollam Sailors, Calicut Globstars and Alleppey Ripples.
Tournament structure
editSix Franchise city-based teams will compete during the school summer holidays.There will be 30 matches in the league stage of the tournament, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-final stage. The winners of both the semi-final matches will be the finalists.
Organisation
editThe Governing Council is responsible for the league's functions, including the organization of tournaments.
- Mohanlal – Brand Ambassador
- Jayesh George – President of KCA
- Sanju Samson – icon Player [12]
- Vinod S Kumar – Secretary
Player acquisition, squad composition, and salaries
editA team can acquire players through the annual player auction, trading with other teams during trading windows, and signing replacements for unavailable players. Players sign up for the auction and set their base price and are bought by the highest-bidding franchise. Unsold players at the auction can become replacement signings. Trades require player consent, and any contract differences are covered by the franchise. There are typically three trading windows: two before the auction and one before the tournament. No trading is allowed outside these windows or during the tournament, but replacements can be signed before or during the event.
Tournament format and squad composition
editKerala Cricket Legue features six teams namely and . Domestic players in Kerala participates in the league. Each team consist of 20 players and 2 support staffs. There are also 4 players for each team, if replacements are required. The tournament have a round-robin format with each team playing against each other twice followed by playoffs - semi finals and final. All of these are day and night games with white ball and coloured clothing as per BCCI playing conditions. Two matches were played in a day. There were 34 matches in the first season.
Teams
edit| Team | City | Captain | Coach | Owners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kochi Blue Tigers | Kochi | |||
| Trivandrum Royals | Trivandrum | |||
| Thrissur Titans | Thrissur | |||
| Kollam Sailors | Kollam | |||
| Calicut Globstars | Calicut | |||
| Alleppey Ripples | Alleppey |
Tournament season and results
edit| Season | Final | Player of the series | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Winners | Result | Runners-up | ||
Team performance
editSeason Franchise |
2024 |
|---|
| Appearances | Matches | Won | Lost | NR |
|---|
Venue
edit| Kerala | ||
|---|---|---|
| Thiruvananthapuram | ||
| Greenfield International Stadium[13] | ||
| Capacity: 50,000 | ||
| Matches: 33 | ||
| ||
Broadcasting
editStar Sports are the official broadcasting partners of the league for three years and Fancode are the streaming partners live exclusively in India on FanCode app.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Allegations made to derail Kerala Cricket League, says KCA secretary". the Hindu. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Cricket League". kca. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Financial Bid Opening – KCL". kca. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- ^ "Successful Bidders – Kerala Cricket League". kca. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "KCA unveils Kerala Cricket League logo, player auction to take place on Aug 10". hindustantimes. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Cricket League Franchise Meet". kca. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Excitement Builds as Kerala Cricket League Unveils Team Names, Icon Players". kca. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Cricket League, 2nd to 18th September 2024". kca. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Venue of Kerala Cricket League Season 1". kca. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Cricket League: Player Auction". kca. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Cricket League: Logo Launch". kca. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Sanju Samson named tournament icon for inaugural Kerala Cricket League". rajasthanroyals.com. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- ^ "Venue of Kerala Cricket League Season 1". kca. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Kerala Cricket League: Broadcast and Streaming Partner". kca. Retrieved 8 August 2024.