Caught in a recent controversy between the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), the newly-formed Kashmir Premier League (KPL) ended yesterday with Rawalakot Hawks lifting the trophy of the first edition.
The final was played between Muzaffarabad Tigers and Rawalakot Hawks at the Muzaffarabad Cricket Ground with a huge physical and digital crowd and more people queuing outside the stadium.
Highlights:
- Rawalakot Hawks win first Kashmir Premier League, Jammu Jaanbaz to join next edition
- War of words between BCCI and PCB over league being held in disputed Kashmir
- KPL president declares KPL big success, records 15 million digital views in five matches
All matches were played at the Muzaffarabad Cricket Ground between 6 and 17 August in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Claiming it a big success, KPL President Arif Malik said during the awards ceremony that the league has recorded 15 million digital views during the first five matches.
On 8 August, KPL’s official Twitter handle had tweeted that the league had recorded 5.6 million digital views on its first day.
The new cricket league was caught in a controversy when former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs accused the BCCI of bringing politics into the sport.
According to Pakistani and Indian media, BCCI had objected to the tournament for being held in a region that is disputed between India and Pakistan.
The PCB responded by issuing a statement in which it alleged that the Indian cricket board had “brought disrepute to the Gentleman’s Game” and that it’ll raise this matter at an “appropriate ICC forum”.
Mr Malik denied the league being controversial at all.
“Pakistan is a permanent member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and can conduct any local league without any instruction from ICC,” he told SBS Urdu.
There were six teams that participated in the league: two each from the Poonch and Mirpur divisions of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, namely Rawalakot Hawks, Bagh Stallions, Mirpur Royals, and Kotli Lions. Muzaffarabad Tigers is representing the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir while Overseas Warriors is comprised of the Pakistani diaspora.
These teams were captained by former Pakistani cricket stars Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, and Shadab Khan.
Mr Malik announced a new team, Jammu Jaanbaz, will participate in the second edition.
Talking about the composition of the teams, Mr Malik said that every team in the league had five local players from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and it was mandatory for every team to have at least two local players in the Playing Eleven.
“This league was meant to promote local talent and we are doing that,” he told SBS Urdu.
Mr Malik added that spectators amounting to only 25 percent of the stadium capacity have been allowed inside due to recent COVID restrictions.
A large number of people watched it from rooftops of houses and the mountains nearby.
UK businessman Sulaiman Raza is the owner of the Mirpur Royals. His team lost the eliminator round to Rawalakot which played final with Muzaffarabad.
Introducing Kashmir to the world and boosting tourism were some reasons behind his decision to buy a team in KPL.
“There is a huge Mirpuri community living in the UK and to pay them a tribute I bought this team,” he told SBS Urdu.
Mr Raza is all praises for this stadium surrounded by mountains.
“I have been to different parts of the world and have seen their cricket grounds, but this is the most beautiful I have ever seen,” he said.
Commenting on the PCB-BCCI controversy, Mr Raza said that politics should not be played in sports.
He said that his team has suffered and Owais Shah, an international player, hasn’t joined because of this. But he adds that he is optimistic that BCCI will also support it in the future.
- Listen to Urdu Podcasts on Spotify Podcast, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Stitcher Podcast
- Learn How to Bookmark SBS URDU’s website or make it your home page.
- SBS Urdu is broadcast every Wednesday and Sunday at 6 PM (AEST).
- How to Listen
- COVID 19 Latest Updates in Urdu
- Install “SBS Radio” mobile app
