Ludhiana: In a boost to the newly-formed managing committee of the Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA), eight teams have enrolled for its Twenty-20 league, which is being organised from December 18 to 27.
Several cricket stars, including Yuvraj Singh and some IPL players, will participate in this tournament, which will be held at two cricket grounds: Hara Cricket Ground and GRD Institute Ground. This is the first-ever major tournament being organised in Ludhiana and has been approved by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA).
LDCA president Satish Mangal said, “We are overwhelmed with the response this tournament has received. Eight teams have registered with us and they have been categorised in two groups. The teams in group A include Punjab Reds, Patiala Colts HRCF, Jalandhar XI and Malwa Heroes. Group B has Punjab Blues, Ludhiana XI, Mohali Legends and Amandeep CC Amritsar. The tournament will start on December 18 and all the matches will be between 11am and 2pm. The duration of each match is 85 minutes. Each of the eight teams will play three matches, all of which will be officiated by state panel umpires and scorers.”
Bhupinder Singh Senior, member of the organising committee of LDCA, said, “This tournament is already a success as we are getting tremendous response from noted cricketers to play in it. Till now, Yuvraj Singh, national-level players, Mandeep Singh, Gurkirat Mann and Sandeep Sharma, and Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketers, Anmolpreet Singh, Prabhsimran Singh and others, have confirmed their participation. Many others are yet to confirm. Entire team of LDCA is working to make this tournament a big hit and bring Ludhiana on the cricketing map of the country. Best in class arrangements are being made and special focus is on the safety measures in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.”
This tournament is a prize money league-cum-knock out invitational T-20 tournament, which is being sponsored by a Ludhiana-based textile conglomerate. It carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh for the winning team and Rs 75,000 for the runners-up.