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| File picture of an OPL cricket match in Cuttack |
Cuttack, Dec. 15: The Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) has announced a Twenty20 extravaganza for women cricketers for the first time starting from March 25 to March 31. The decision was taken during the Odisha Premier League (OPL) governing committee meeting today.
Sources in the OCA said the first edition of OPL women would feature four teams. The teams would be formed from among a pool of 60 players drawn from various parts of the state.
“Our aim is to promote women’s cricket and we think it will be a great platform for budding players to showcase their talent. We hope it will be a success as it aims at selecting players from the grassroot level,” said OCA secretary Ashirbad Behera.
According to the proposals, 15 players will be selected for each team. The teams will be named after a final meeting scheduled in February. All the 60 players will be placed in three groups, while 20 players each will be selected from Grade A, B and C categories.
While state players will get the Grade A tag, district players will be in Grade B and those from local catchment areas will be in Grade C.
OCA will give Rs 30,000 for players placed in Grade A, Rs 20,000 for grade B players while players in grade C will receive a payment of Rs 10,000 for the entire tournament.
The winning team will get a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, while runners-up will take Rs 50,000. Efforts are on to seek sponsorship for the tournament. OCA has also decided to host the third edition of OPL men’s tournament from March 20 to April 1. A budget of Rs 3 crore has been drawn up for OPL-III and the women tournament. The winner of OPL-III will take home a kitty of Rs 3lakh, while the runners-up will get Rs 2lakh.
“We have requested a number of corporate companies and others to sponsor both tournaments. Though all the matches are slated to be played at Barabati, OCA is contemplating to fix another venue and discussion with various district units including Bhubaneswar, Balangir and Paradip is on,” Behera added.
