Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (UM)
Udupi, Apr 17: The trophy of the upcoming Udupi Premier League (UPL), the first International Hard Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament to be organized by Udupi Cricket Club, was unveiled in a befitting ceremony at MGM Grounds here on Saturday April 16.
The Udupi Premier League will be inaugurated on April 26 and the matches will be played from April 27 to May 1 at MGM Grounds. Prizes worths Rs 50 lac are in store.
The trophy was unveiled by Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj.
Addressing the gathering, Madhwaraj said, "Among all sports, cricket enjoys the most popularity in India. Udupi district has many talented cricketers but they play with tennis ball, which does not do much good to their future. Practising with hard ball improves their chances of getting selected at the state and national levels.
"This is a hard tennis ball tournament, which is almost the same as playing with hard ball. It will make the young cricketers better at playing with hard ball," he added.
"In rural areas, there are many talented youngsters who are good at sports. They should be given adequate training. If more youth groups get together and organize tournaments like these, it will encourage them. This will also help them grow and get selected at the national level," he opined.
Performances by Smart Boys, Kadekar enthralled the gathering.
Jayakar Shetty Indrali of Badagabettu Credit Cooperative Society, organizer Sadhiq Kaup, Birthi Credit Cooperative Society president Gangadhar Bhandary, councillor Geeta Shet, Sunil Kumar from Goa, Hidayatulla Kazi of ABCO Group, Shivaraj from Goa, legal advisor Sukesh Shetty and others were present.
The main motive behind organizing this tournament in Udupi is to acquaint the locals with hard tennis ball cricket and platform to emerging talents. It has already been organized at Ajman, Dubai and Sharjah under the leadership of Sadhiq Kaup.
The tournament will witness teams from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, from states like Kolkata, Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telegana and from Mangaluru and Udupi cities. The pattern of the tournament will be the same as league matches limited to the 10 overs.
The winning team will take home a whopping amount of Rs 20 lac and a trophy, while the runner-up team will get Rs 10 lac and a trophy. The teams placed third and fourth will take home Rs 2 la each.
Individual winners like Man of the Series will take home a brand new car, while the Best Batsman and the Best Bowler will each win a bike. Man of the Match in every game will win a trophy and cash prize.