Heralding a new era in sports, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) today unveiled the trophy and team jerseys of its maiden UPT20 League in a glittering ceremony in Lucknow.
The tournament, comprising six teams representing different cities, will commence on Aug 30. The city-based franchises include Gorakhpur Lions, Kanpur Superstars, Kashi Rudras, Lucknow Falcons, Meerut Mavericks and Noida Super Kings.
With the official launch of the UPT20 League, the sports domain in the state is expected to reap the multiplier benefits of private investment in sports infra, corporate sponsorships, higher tourist inflow etc.
The UPT20 anthem was also launched on the occasion, which saw the presence of BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla and UPCA director D S Chauhan, who is also the League chairperson.
Commencing on Aug 30, UPT20 will span 18 days before culminating on Sep 16. Now, UP ranks among 10 other states, who already have state level T20 cricket leagues.
Organised by the UPCA, UPT20 will be managed by Perfect-Pitch Events & Sports Private Limited. All matches of the tournament will be played at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur.
“With a colossal population in UP, it has been a challenge to accommodate more and more players and provide them opportunities to display their talent. With each franchise stipulated to have 25 players, we believe the League is a great platform to unearth the best talent from UP and feed fresh talent to Team India,” Shukla added.
“The League is coming to UP at a time when our state is thriving on many fronts and sports are an important part of that development. UPT20 will give aspiring cricketers an opportunity to showcase their potential,” Chauhan noted.
With IPL auctions a few months away, UPT20 will serve as a platform for state cricketing talents to showcase their skills while offering established players an arena to exhibit their prowess.
On Aug 16, the UPT20 franchises’ auction took place at a Lucknow hotel, wherein VCORP Flavours Private Limited (a wholly owned subsidiary of Vishnu And Company Trademarks) bought the Kanpur team for Rs 7.2 crore per year.
Lucknow team was sold to a joint venture (JV) of Ekana Sportz City Private Limited and G C Construction & Development Industries for Rs 6 crore per year.
Varanasi franchise was bought by a JV of Yan Transport Services for Rs 6.5 crore per year, while Samavisht Energy Solutions (a wholly owned subsidiary of Montage Enterprises) snapped up Noida Team for Rs 6 crore per year.
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Meerut team was acquired by a JV of Team Aviation India for Rs 5.5 crore per year. A JV of Gaursons India and Gaursons Realtech lapped up Gorakhpur team for Rs 6 crore per year.