Berhampur: The Ganjam Premier League (GPL) cricket will start with the participation of six teams.

"Cricket fans will witness the tournament's opening ceremony at the Berhampur Stadium on April 19. It will continue till May 6," said Bichitra Patnaik, vice-president of the Rameswar Sporting Club here which is organising the GPL. "You can live stream it on your mobile phone," he said.

Each team would play five day-and-night matches in the series, accompanied by the cheer girls. Out of eleven players of a team, seven would be local and four from other districts. The champions would be awarded Rs 1 lakh and the runners-up Rs 50,000, said Bichitra.

Though 190 players have registered their names for the GPL, only 72 would be selected through auctions at the stadium on Monday and Tuesday. "The owners of six teams will be finalised after the interested persons buy it for Rs 30,000 as franchise," he said. Many persons have evinced interest to become the owners of the six teams and are in regular contact with the club members.

Berhampur Development Authority chairman Subash Maharana has been selected the GPL chairman. Club president and Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Chau Patnaik said the GPL would encourage the budding talents in the rural areas. "Our aim is to give exposure and chances to our players to take part in the national and international matches," he said.