The curtains may have come down on season five of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but the cricketainment continues for those bitten by the T20 bug, that too on the home turf.

Coal town Dhanbad is padding up for Dhanbad Premier League (DPL), the younger cousin of BCCI’s cash-rich, high-on-glam IPL, which will kick off at the railway grounds from June 2 with the inauguration being held on June 1.

The tournament that will be played by five franchises — Nirsa Warriors, Jharia Janbaaz, Katras King, Sindri Sher and Dhanbad Dangers — will continue till June 8 with its theme song, composed by Dhanbad-based Bablu-Bawna Music Group, launched by organising committee members on Monday evening. The fixtures of the league were also released during the event at the railway grounds.

S.A. Rahman (Junior), the general secretary of Dhanbad Cricket Association, which is hosting the DPL, said the inaugural function would start from 6pm on June 1.

And if IPL 5 had flaunted performances by big Bollywood names like Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor on its opening night, not to forget American pop artist Katy Perry, DPL will offer its own brand of entertainment — a cultural programme, march past by different teams and shows by bands. Upping the glam quotient will be local girl Puja Chatterjee of Indian Idol fame.

“We will either bring the military band of Ramgarh or the Jharkhand Armed Police band from Govindpur. We have also roped in Puja Chatterjee, who will perform at the show. President of Jharkhand State Cricket Association Amitabh Chaudhary will grace the occasion as chief guest,” said Rahman.

The sizzling pom-pom girls can also be seen in action as the franchisees are planning to bring cheerleaders from Calcutta.

As for the infrastructure bit, preparations are on in full swing. As many as 300 floodlights have been mounted atop 10 to 50-feet high towers at the stadium, which will host 13 T20 day-night matches, with two games being played daily in the league stage. The league matches will begin at 3.45pm and 7pm, respectively (see chart).

This apart, three food courts have been set up at the stadium — one for VIPs and officials, one for franchisee members and the third for spectators. A big screen has been brought from Ranchi to beam the matches live, IPL style. The galleries have received a fresh coat of paint and urinals and toilets refurbished.

“The sponsors of the league have also announced attractive prizes. The champions will walk away with Rs 1 lakh while the runners-up will receive Rs 50,000,” Rahman said.

The Man of the Match will get prize money of Rs 2,500 while the Man of the Final will pocket Rs 5000. The Man of the Tournament will be awarded Rs 10,000. The best bowler and best batsman of the tournament will receive Rs 5,000 each.