A good start to the first edition of the Andhra Premier League T-20 Cricket Championship

It will be a different kind of monsoon magic for cricket lovers in the Destiny City in the inaugural edition of the Sriram Group-sponsored Andhra Premier League (APL) T-20 Cricket Championship featuring six franchises.

For the Andhra Cricket Association and the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association, which have received all-round accolades for successfully organizing international matches over the past few years, this APL will be another feather in the cap.

The APL was created with the intention of giving the average fan of the top tier Indian Premier League a glimpse of the domestic talent available and giving young talent a taste of what it means to play in the colors and white balls.

Young cricketers make noise in the first edition of Andhra Premier League (APL) at the ACA VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam | Photo credit: KR Deepak

Not surprisingly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given permission to its affiliate unit ACA to host the event. For this record, six franchises – Uttarandhra Lions of KVR Estates, Rayalaseema Kings of Dasharadharam Reddy, Godavari Titans of Malvin Global Energy, Coastal Raiders of Surya Granites, Bejawada Tigers of Andhra Hospitals and Vizag Warriors of Pulsus Group – will compete for the top honours. .

With former Andhra Ranji cricketers Satyaprasad Yachendra heading the APL Governing Council and other members including RV Ch Prasad, former Ranji captain, GVV Gopala Raju as members, the cricketers and officials involved in the conduct will have no chance. complaints.

KV Shashikant of Marlin Godavari Titans plays a shot (55 not out) during the first edition of the Andhra Premier League (APL) against Coastal Raiders at the ACA VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam | Photo credit: KR Deepak

Anyone who played the game when there were no proper training facilities and these types of leagues were not even a distant dream, knows exactly what players, managers and fans are looking for.

The selection of six teams of 20 players each from a 400-player auction is proof that the ACA has done its homework pretty well when it comes to expanding the opportunity for young and experienced cricketers to compete, if needed.

A conscious effort has also been made to keep the format similar to the IPL – the league stage sees six teams compete against each other in a single round-robin style, with the top four teams advancing to the playoff rounds.

Dark clouds threaten maiden edition of Andhra Premier League (APL) at ACA VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam | Photo credit: KR Deepak

“League is not just about money. It is a platform especially for young talent to showcase their skills. With IPL being the biggest show in domestic cricket for obvious reasons, we felt it was imperative to have APL that would help us unearth young talent and groom them into world-class players,” said Satyaprasad Yachendra. .

“APL is not only for men. We also organized the first edition of APL for Women in Vizianagaram as the sport has gone to the next level in recent times due to the exploits of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team. We are happy to see an increasing number of girls taking to cricket,” he said.

Andhra Cricket Association President Sarath Chandra Reddy releasing balloons during the inauguration ceremony of the first edition of Andhra Premier League (APL) at the ACA VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam | Photo credit: KR Deepak

“We have been planning this APL for a long time, but the pandemic put a brake on the event. So, this year, Sarath Chandra Reddy (ACA president) has insisted on organizing it and making it a grand success,” said Sathyaprasad, adding that it was a complete team effort on behalf of the governing council and the entire ACA. place “This will be a regular event on the ACA calendar in the future,” he said.

And, interestingly, it’s not a one-way process where only the players and the ACA benefit. Sponsors can also look back with pride as the league has given them the scope to make financial gains.

Munish Verma of Coastal A DJ performing during the first edition of Andhra Premier League (APL) at ACA VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam | Photo credit: KR Deepak

Like many such leagues, the APL also gives young cricketers an opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in Andhra cricket, including Indian star and wicketkeeper-batsmen K Srikar Bharat, Ricky Bhui, Ashwin Hebbar. RELATED FRANCHISEES.

“We believe that giving youngsters a sense of being in the league will motivate them to move up to the next grade,” Sathyaprasad.

The excitement of the players, officials and fans is palpable as Star Sports telecasts the matches. “We are thankful to all the six franchises for buying the teams not just for one season but for three years,” the governing council chairperson said.

Significantly, coaches of all teams are keeping a tab on performances and preparing notes to help the young talent look away.

“Definitely, this league would have been great in our playing days. But, in a way we are trying to make the current generation of cricketers gain what we lost back then,” he said.

By all means, the APL is a crowd-puller, weather permitting.