Udupi, Apr 18: The second season of the Udupi Premier League (UPL), the hard tennis ball T10 international cricket tournament, got off to a colorful start on Monday evening at Dr B R Ambedkar stadium, Panambur, Mangaluru.
Former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin, who was the star attraction at the inaugural function, appreciated the efforts of the organizers in promoting cricket in the region.
The legendary cricketer said that most of the bigwigs of the cricket had started playing with tennis ball and then switched to seasonal ball.
Underlining the necessity of an international cricket stadium in Mangaluru, he said that the coastal city is full of talents but lacks facilities.
“In Mangaluru, you can find a large number of sportspersons and sports lovers. I was repeatedly invited for various sports events in this city including cricket tournaments. However, it is sad to know that people of Mangaluru do not have a world class stadium,” he said.
Former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) state unit president H D Kumaraswamy formally launched the tournament by releasing the balloons into air.
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Joshi, Mangaluru North MLA B A Mohiuddin Bava, chief whip of legislative council Ivan D’Souza, SAB chairman Salahuddin Salman, organizers Mohammed Mubeen and Sadiq Kaup were present among others.
Organized by the Udupi Cricket Club and powered by SAB, a Saudi Arabia based company, the UPL contains cash prizes worth over Rs 50 lakh. The winners will bag Rs 25 lakh cash while runners will get a cash award of Rs 12 lakh.
The tournament is dubbed as the world cup of hard tennis ball cricket as teams from the Middle East and Sri Lanka are also vying for the prestigious trophy apart from Indian teams. The matches will commence on Tuesday and the final match will be held on April 23.
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