Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) is set to launch its first-ever T20 franchise tournament, Uttar Pradesh Premier League to boost and promote the game in the region. The first edition of the tournament will have six teams based in prominent cities of the state and the tournament will be exclusive for cricketers from Uttar Pradesh.
The state cricket association has been reportedly planning to introduce its T20 franchise league to help the local players get to the competitive stage. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have their own franchise leagues for some time and both have managed to enjoy success in terms of fan attraction and viewership.
Maharashtra Cricket Association also conducted its first-ever T20 franchise tournament in June last year where the local youngsters played alongside some of the biggest stars in the Indian cricket team.
According to a report from InsideSports, the Uttar Pradesh Premier League tournament will conduct an auction for teams this week and then will hold a player auction on August 13 and August 14. The tournament is likely to start in the last week of the month and will have six teams participating in an inaugural edition.
Lucknow, Noida, Kanpur, Meerut, Gorakhpur and Varanasi are shortlisted as base cities for the teams and Kanpur's iconic Green Park Stadium will host all the matches. A report from InsideSport also suggests that the association has received a positive response from the various entities to buy the teams in the tournament with over 20 companies looking to bid for six teams.
Organisers are also expecting JioCinema and Disney Star to bid for digital media rights for the first edition. Reliance-backed JioCinema are frontrunner to win the race to broadcast the tournament as they are reportedly looking to bid higher than their counterparts.
