Thiruvananthapuram: The much-anticipated Kerala Cricket League (KCL), a franchise-based professional T20 cricket tournament organised by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), is widely expected to reshape the commercial landscape of the sport in Kerala. Since the KCL will be broadcast and live-streamed in numerous countries worldwide, it will offer a great platform for young Kerala players to showcase their talents and enable them explore new avenues.
The KCL will be held at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram from September 2 to 18. As many as 114 players, including six icon players, will be in action for the six teams in the fray. A total of 108 players were bought by the franchises with each of them spending around Rs 34 lakh at the maiden KCL player auction. The icon players will get 10 per cent more than the team's costliest buy. That means, a franchise would have spent over Rs 40 lakh to build a team.
The league will be held over 19 days, including two reserve days, in which six teams will play a total of 33 matches. Two matches will be played every day in the league and semifinal phases. The teams have already started their preparations for the league.
Modelled on the Indian Premier League, the KCL will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 channel and digital streaming application Fancode. The entry is free for all the matches.
The KCL is expected to have a significant economic impact on Kerala's sports sector. The KCA will receive around Rs 14 crore per year as franchise fee. The base price of a franchise was fixed at Rs 1 crore plus GST, with a maximum ceiling price of Rs 2.5 crore.
The franchisees were chosen through a competitive tender process. While four franchises were acquired for an amount of Rs 2.5 crore each, the remaining two franchises were purchased for Rs 2.01 crore each.
Trivandrum Royals (Priyadarshan-Jose Patara Consortium), Kochi Blue Tigers (Enigmatic Smile Rewards Private Limited), Thrissur Titans (Finesses Market Link Private Limited), and Calicut Globstars (EKK Infrastructure Limited) were acquired for Rs 2.5 crore each. The franchises that cost Rs 2.01 crore each were Aries Kollam Sailors (Aries Group) and Alleppey Ripples (Console Shipping Services India Private Limited). The franchise tenure is for 10 years. The KCA will receive a share of the television rights as well as sponsorship money.
Money talks
The KCL franchisees will also receive a share of the advertising revenue from the official broadcasters and sponsorships. The average number of advertising minutes per game is estimated to be 2,400 seconds or 40 minutes. Half of the advertising revenue (1,200 seconds) will be split between Star Sports and broadcast producer Twenty First Century Media Private Limited. Out of the remaining 1,200 seconds, the advertising revenue from 440 seconds will be shared by the two teams featuring in a match. The income from 320 seconds of commercials will go to the KCA.
Every franchise will also receive a share of advertising revenue (120 seconds per match) throughout the tournament, including the semifinals and the final.
In the league phase, a team will play as many as 10 matches. That means a franchise will receive a share of the advertising revenue (for approximately 80 minutes) over the course of the KCL.
