Saudi Premier League-2017 gets underway

coastaldigest.com news network

October 19, 2017

Jubail, Oct 19: Saudi Premier League-2017 has got underway at Jubail with the sponsorship of Spark Arabia. For the first time in Kingdom players were purchased through auction.

Opening

The grand opening ceremony of first SPL-2017 was conducted at Al-Falah cricket ground Al-Jubail on October 12 with SPL march past by all 6 team players, tournament officials and Al Falah cricket Academy kids.

Main sponsor of SPL-2017 Habeeb, CEO of Spark Arabia, Naushad A R, SPL committee chairman, Salahuddin Salman, Managing Director of SAB group, Al-Khober, Mazhar from SAB, Irshad from IFF and Faziq from Spark Arabia were among the guests.

Salim Sheik, SPL organizing committee chief advisor welcomed the guest. Ibba Bajpe greeted them. Guests poured their best wishes for the success of the tournament.

Saifulla Thodar, master of ceremony, explained the intention behind the SPL-2017 which will enhance the talent of the crickets in Saudi Arabia especially for eastern province players.

Snehadeepam Charitable Society, based at Kappikadu in Mangaluru, will be the beneficiary of the SPL accrued funds. Started in 2015, the society is taking care and supporting the kids affected with HIV/AIDS. Snehadeepam was founded by a woman, Tabassum.

All 6 team captains participated in SPL pledge ceremony and promising to play in the honor of their franchises with true sportsman spirit.

Matches

The first inaugural match held between White Stone warriors and Al Safa Al-Hassa. B M Sharief, managing director of White stone industrial services was present.

In the first two weeks, 15 league matches will be played among the six teams. In the last week, play off stage matches will be held. The final match will take place on October 27 followed by a grand closing ceremony. The organizers have promised gifts and prizes for the audiences by conducting cricket related quiz and distributing lucky coupon during closing ceremony.

The auction

The auction was held in Jubail Cookxon restaurant on Saturday 30, wherein 6 franchises purchased 18 players each out of 280 registered players.

Fayaz Anabeeb welcomed. Saifulla Thodar, SPL core committee member and secretary briefed about SPL auction rules and regulations. Ibba Bajpe, SPL chief advisor, presented the representatives of franchise with certificates. Tournament committee distributed all franchise players official squad immediately after auction.

Comments

Its a fesival happening in jubail for cricket lovers.Glad to witness such a huge n grand game of cricket around.All credits to SPL organising committee lead by IBBA Bajpe & thank you Saif Thodar for counting me one among you in the SPL official panel.the cause for which this tournament is being played desreves a salute.Wish many more in ahead!!!

Well done guys! Well planned, i have never witnessed such planned event in jubail. Saifullah you the beauty! Good organiser of such events... Wish you all the success.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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