Andhra Premier League (APL) is all set to commence from July 6. The format of the game is similar to the IPL (Indian Premier League) and in its first season six teams will be vying for the cup.
The team logos were unveiled here on Tuesday by the franchisee owners and the ACA officials. The teams include Uttarandhra Lions, bought by KVR Estates; Rayalaseema Kings (Dasaradharam Reddy); Godavari Titans (Malvin Global Energy); Coastal Riders (Surya Granites); Bezwada Tigers (Andhra Hospitals); and Vizag Warriors (Pulsus Group). The franchises have taken the rights for three years.
Addressing the media, CEO of ACA M. Siva Reddy said this was one of the biggest event for ACA after Andhra had played the first Ranji Trophy match in 1953. He said that the matches and the tournament were being played as per the BCCI norms and anti-corruption officers from BCCI would oversee the tournament.
Player auction
About 368 players would be going under the hammer at the auction that would be held on June 24. Anchor and auctioneer Charu Sharma would be conducting the auction.
The players had been picked from 452 applications, based on their track record in 1:3 ratio, said former Ranji player and member of the government council R.V. CH Prasad.
Among the 368 selected players, 12 are iconic players, who are basically leading Ranji players, and each team can have two iconic players.
The base price for iconic players had been fixed at ₹2 lakh with the player purchase kitty being limited to ₹30 lakh for each franchisee, said Gopinath Reddy, treasurer of ACA.
“We are leaving no stone unturned, and the players will be hosted in two-star hotels and ACA for the first season will be bearing the cost of accommodation, food and transport. We are also bearing the player kit to the tune of about ₹30 lakh,” he said.
According to him, APL would give the young players a solid platform to showcase their talent.
While the base price for iconic players is ₹2 lakh, for category A it is ₹1.5 lakhs for 48 players, category B it is ₹1 lakh for 83 players and for category C it is ₹50,000 for the rest. The players range from U-19 zones to Ranji trophy.
Each team could have 20 players and four support staff, including the coach and physio.
Title sponsor
The title sponsor for the tournament is Shriram Group, and it would be called as Shriram APL, said Mr. Siva Reddy.
The matches would be telecast live by Star Sports (Telugu), which has purchased the telecast rights for ₹2 crore and on a daily basis two matches would be played. One will be played from 1 p.m. to 4.20 p.m. and the other will be played from 6.30 p.m. to 9.50 p.m.
In tune with the IPL format, there would be one eliminator and two qualifier matches, before the final that would be played on July 17.
