The Karnataka Premier League tournament will be called the ‘Mantri-KPL Cup’ after the Karnataka State Cricket Association accepted Mantri Developers’ title-sponsorship bid of Rs. 11.11 crore, payable over five years.
In a function at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday evening, KSCA President Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadeyar and Secretary Brijesh Patel presented the official letter of recognition to Sushil Mantri, Chief Managing Director, Mantri Enterprises.
The KPL will be held from September 9 to 23. Wadeyar said that the response to the KPL has been positive and the inclusion of Mantri as title sponsor is a matter of prestige.
“We welcome the Mantri Group into our fold and, so far, all activities of the KPL have been done with utmost transparency and that also has been one of the reasons for the keen interest shown by everyone, especially the franchises,” Wadeyar said.
Brijesh Patel said that the expertise of the Mantri group would be used for improving rural cricket infrastructure.
“It’s a coincidence that the Indian Premier League’s title sponsor is a realtor like DLF and our KPL’s title sponsor is also a realtor. We are happy to have Mantri with us and we will use their knowledge for improving our cricket infrastructure in the rural areas. The goal is to have a stadium in every district and since Mantri is into infrastructure development, I am sure we can bank on them. Twenty20 is an exciting format and we want to give a good product through the KPL,” Brijesh Patel said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mantri said that cricket, especially the KPL, would give more exposure to his real estate company.
“We want to grow beyond Bangalore and be known all over Karnataka and, in that sense, KPL will help us,” he said. Brijesh Patel also mentioned that Udaya TV had been signed up as KPL’s official broadcaster.
