Extraordinary league of gentlemen!

The Karnataka Premier League is all set to kick off today and namma boys, who hail from over the state, are ready to set the field on fire. The KPL, which will see matches being played in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hubli, has a total of seven teams battling it out for the trophy. While hardcore fans are gearing up to lend their support to our players at matches being held across the state in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hubli, here’s a lowdown on the squads this season….

Mysuru Warriors: ‘Triple ton’ boy  Karun Nair will be the skipper for  MW which has players like  J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal and Shivil Kaushik who have IPL experience backing them. The team, which bagged the trophy in 2014, also has Suneel Raju, Vyshak V and Arjun Hoysala boosting their line-up. “I want to make an effort to watch the league this year as it’s a big motivation for our state’s players,” says student Shreekar Kuruvadi.

Bijapur Bulls: Headed by Bharath Chipli, this team bagged the title in 2015. With  Mohammed Taha at Rs 5 lakh being their costliest player,  the other names in the squad are Abhimanyu Mithun, HS Sharat and KC Kariappa. They’ve qualified for the semi-final stages thrice in the league.

Belagavi Panthers:  Bowler Sreenath Aravind, who’s played for RCB during the IPL, will be heading this team, which also has names like Manish Pandey, K Gowtham and Stuart Binny. “”It’s great to have the KPL back in Bengaluru. I missed it, because it nurtures local talent and we need to support them. I’ll definitely be watching some of the games here. Also, Gowtham is a good friend, so that makes it even more special,” says stand-up comedian Satish Perumal.

Ballari Tuskers: Expectations are high from the defending champions, who are being captained by their most expensive buy, 30-year-old Amit Verma, who went for Rs 7.2 lakh. With the addition of experienced campaigners like CM Gautam, Kunal Kapoor, and promising youngsters in Zahoor Farooqui and Abhinav Manohar, Ballari has a good mixture of youth and experience.

Hubli Tigers: Karnataka’s Ranji Team captain  R Vinay Kumar will be the skipper for Hubli, that also has the likes of Mayank Agarwal and Praveen Dubey.  The Tigers have reached the finals and lost twice - in 2015 and 2016.

Bengaluru Blasters: The state’s capital did not have a team for the longest time and this season, they’re back with a drive to win. R Samarth, who went for Rs 5.9 lakh is the skipper and he will be supported by players like Pavan Deshpande, Prasidh Krishna, Mitrakant Yadav and Shishir Bhavane. “People in the city have missed out on the local talent apart from Ranji games. Now we get to see the entire roster, which is a good thing and will encourage more kids to come to the stadium,” Advithi Kumar, marketing professional.

Namma Shivamogga: The team has an experienced captain in Akhil Balachandra, one of the oldest players in the KPL. Although Shivamogga has no famous national name, they do have talented boys like Anirudh Joshi, Pradeep T and Abrar Kazi and of course, R Jonathan, who was bought for a whopping 5.1 lakh.