KPL 2017 moves to Hubballi for the final leg

Hubbali, 13 September 2017: After wowing the cricket faithful in Mysuru, the Karbonn Smartphones Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2017, powered by Cycle Pure Agarbathies, is all set to take Hubbali by storm. On Wednesday (13 September), at the swanky Hotel Naveen, Sanjay Desai, the president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), officially launched the final leg of the tournament in Hubbali to much fanfare.

The launch of the tournament in Hubbali was truly enthralling with a brilliant musical rendition by the duo of Vijayalakshmi and Ravi Haveri, followed by a stand-up comic act by Karthik Pattar. The glittering KPL trophy was also unveiled in Hubbali for the first time in the season.

Over the next ten days, Hubbali will host the remaining ten matches of what has been a thrilling tournament, including the two semi-finals and the final at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium.

Mr Sanjay M Desai, the KSCA president, said: “The Mysuru leg of the tournament was a grand success. The people there witnessed high-quality cricket, with plenty of matches going down to the wire. It’s exactly the sort of excitement we had hoped to take to different corners of Karnataka with this tournament, and Hubbali is the next in line. This city has always had many cricket-loving people, and we look forward to the hosting the business end of the tournament here, including highly promising semi-finals and final.”

The tournament kicked off in Mysuru with a fashion show, which included the sight of players walking the ramp alongside the models who will also feature in the Mysuru Fashion Week. The orange cap for the highest run-getter, purple cap for the highest wicket-taker and the Man of the Series trophy was unveiled in Mysuru by the legendary cricketer GR Viswanath.

The players were back in familiar environs the next day, and the 12 matches in Mysuru were enthralling, nail-biting affairs, with the result of many undecided till the very last over.

The tournament’s trophy was launched by the magical leg-spinner BS Chandrasekhar in Bengaluru. Then the tournament got underway in Bengaluru on 1 September, with a gala opening ceremony followed by two matches in the state capital. The opening ceremony was a particularly colourful affair, with excellent works of light and graphics. There was plenty of glitz as well, with the popular singer, Sangeetha Raju, prompting the sizeable crowd to sway to her tunes before Sandalwood’s very own Sharmiela Mandre, with a folk-dance troupe behind her, took the frenzy up a notch. The biggest cheers, of course, were saved for the legendary Puneet Rajkumar, who fashionably entered the arena in a buggy and walked the red carpet with the glinting KPL trophy.

The tournament’s support for the Rally for Rivers campaign was also announced during the ceremony, as Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev’s video message promoting the cause was played on the big screen.

The Hubbali leg of KPL 2017 – played in memory of S.D.N.R Wadiyar, the former KSCA president and scion of the royal family – will begin with the home side, Hubli Tigers, taking on Mysuru Warriors on Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, Ticketgenie, the official KPL ticketing partner, kickstarted the sale of tickets at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium on Sunday. The tickets have also been on sale, since last week, at three outlets in the city: Hotel Gurudutt Bhavan, Kamakshi Enterprises, and BVB College canteen.

Tickets for weekday matches are priced at Rs 50 and Rs 100. Meanwhile, tickets for the weekends as well as the semi-finals and final are priced at Rs 75 and Rs 150. The tickets can be bought from the box office and the outlets from 11 am to 5.30 pm.

The tickets on sale are not match-specific. They are match-day specific, which means fans can enjoy a double-header with a single ticket per head.

Hubbali Leg Schedule

14 September: Hubli Tigers v Mysuru Warriors (7 pm)

15 September: Bijapur Bulls v Bengaluru Blasters (7 pm)

16 September: Belagavi Panthers v Namma Shivamogga (3 pm); Bengaluru Blasters v Ballari Tuskers (7pm)

17 September:  Break Day

18 September: Belagavi Panthers v Bijapur Bulls (7 pm)

19 September: Namma Shivamogga v Mysuru Warriors (3 pm); Hubli Tigers v Ballari Tuskers (7 pm)

20 September: Semi-final 1: First placed team v Fourth placed team (7 pm)

21 September: Break Day

22 September: Semi-final 2: Second placed team v Third placed team (7 pm)

23 September: Final: Winner of Semi-final 1 v Winner of Semi-final 2 (7 pm)