Telangana T20 league to commence on February 3

Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has announced that Telangana T20 league will begin on February 3. This is not the first time that a State association has launched a local league in the shortest format as they hunt for the young talent. The competition was launched by them in December last year as the association aims to take the game to all the districts of the State. However, this would be second phase of the tournament in which a total of 10 teams will compete for the ultimate glory.

This league was started with an initiative to provide a major boost to rural cricketers who lag behind because of the lack of proper infrastructure and coaching facilities. A total of 31 district teams in addition to an extra team from Hyderabad took part in the first phase during which a total of 52 matches were played.

Now that the second phase will commence soon, HCA has sent letters to all the franchise owners and are not leaving any stone unturned in its preparations. Adilabad Tigers, Hyderabad-Srinidhian Thunder Bolts, Mahbubnagar MLR Royals, Medak Mavericks, Nizamabad Knights, Nalgonda Lions, Karimnagar Warriors, Khammam Tiraa, Kakateeya Kings and Ranga Reddy Risers are the 10 teams which will fight it out at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

What will be the format of the league?

All the matches of the league will be played on a round-robin basis. Each side will be allowed to have 18 players up their sleeve unlike the first phase when only 14 players were allowed. A total of 48 matches will be played between the 10 participating teams out of which only four will qualify for the knockout matches. Visaka Industry is the chief sponsor of the tournament which has pledged Rs 50 lakh for the mega tournament.

These kind of leagues are always going to help the local talented players. The other leagues like Karnataka Premier League (KPL) and Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) have already helped the players gain lucrative IPL contracts and even Telangana T20 league launched by HCA will help the budding cricketers in the near future.