The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has announced that the inaugural edition of its franchise-based T20 league will be held from January 4 to 9.
The T20 league, on the lines of regional leagues hosted by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, had been in the pipeline for the last five years. MCA president Ashish Shelar revived the project after taking over the association’s reins from Sharad Pawar earlier this year. “The [MCA managing committee] unanimously appointed the consortium of IIFL Group/Associates and Wizcraft group as the sole agency for exclusive management of the T20 League,” Mr. Shelar said in a statement on Tuesday.
The inaugural edition is likely to see six teams competing in a round robin-cum-knockout format. With attendance at local and domestic matches poor in recent times, it remains to be seen how city cricket fans respond to the upcoming tournament. Likely venues are the Wankhede Stadium, Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Bandra Kurla Complex and the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana in Kandivali.
