August is the month of festivities in Keralam

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

It is also the time of the year when the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) carnival arrives in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram during Onam.

Onam, Kerala’s grand harvest festival, is usually celebrated with a spectrum of cultural shows and sports hardly has a place in it. Yet, KCL made an unlikely but emphatic entry into the festivities.

The Kerala Cricket Association( (KCA) left no stone unturned to make the league a grand spectacle. Superstar Mohan Lal was made the Brand Ambassador of the league. Celebrity owners Priyadarshan, Kalyani Priyadarshan and Keerthi Suresh enhanced the brand value of the league. From conducting roadshows to organising fan club tournaments, fan parks, through wide publicity on social media platforms, the KCA took a multi pronged strategy to attract fans to the stadium. As a novelty, the KCA also announced a cash prize of 6000 for spectators taking catches in the gallery during the third season.

The third season has entered the business end but there is no clear favourites and he race for Semifinals has entered an interesting stage with five teams in contention for four places.

The KCL ushered in new talents and lived up to the purpose for which it was set up. Vignesh Puthur’s rise from obscurity to play in IPL was the success story of KCL in the first season. The talent scouts from various IPL franchises watched the matches and a few players were called for selection trials and it showed that KCL was getting attention at the national level.

Over the last two seasons of KCL a plethora of young players took the opportunity to realise their potential.

Sibin Girish and Krishna Devan two immensely talented cricketers hogged the limelight during the auction for the third season. Sibin Girish, a category c player, became the most expensive player as he was bought for 11.80 lakh by Alleppey Ripples. The power hitter Krishna Devan another category C player was sold for 11.20 lakh to Globstars.

The league also provided the platform for some cricketers who were considered a spent force to have second wind in their careers. The league also launched the career of several rookie cricketers who went on to represent Keralam in national competitions. With the franchises promising to make substantial investments and their willingness to promote young talent, the KCL is here to stay.

The KCL also made a striking entry, capturing the imagination of fans and generating substantial traction on social media.The KCL exceeded expectations in terms of viewership and it was an impressive achievement for a tournament in its infancy.

The socio-economic impact of KCL extends beyond the cricket field. While providing a platform for Kerala’s cricketers to showcase their skills, the league has also acted as a catalyst for local economic growth and development.

The KCL has the potential to inject significant revenue, to the tune of 40 crores per year, into both the local and State economies. The main beneficiaries are the hospitality industry, travel, catering, event management, marketing, media and tourism sectors.