HUBBALI, Karnataka: The Karbonn Smartphones Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2017, powered by Cycle Pure Agarbathies, has entered its final stretch, and so far it has been a closely fought tournament.
So close has been the contest, that the semi-final spots for the tournament were decided on the final day of the league phase on Tuesday.
The good news for KPL does not stop there. The television viewership figures for the first eight matches of the season were released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India and they reveal a significant increase in the interest around the tournament.
This year the tournament is being telecast for the first time by Star Sports. The first eight matches (including a complete washout – Match 4) were watched by 22.6 million viewers. In Karnataka alone, the reach of the KPL broadcast grew by three times to 3.7 million in 2017.
Star has brought with it a big-name commentary panel, including former Australian players Dean Jones, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey, former India cricketers Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Deep Dasgupta, ex-New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, former Karnataka Ranji Trophy player Fazal Khaleel and noted sports presenter Charu Sharma. Also presenting the telecast are anchors Mayanti Langer, Sanjana Ganesan and Danish Sait.
One of the key aspects of the increased viewership has also been the Star Sports’ aggressive marketing and promotional campaign. Around 5,500 promos of KPL were aired across the network in the first week, with over 150 of them aired during the Pro Kabaddi League live broadcast.
Vinay Mruthyunjaya, KPL governing council member & KSCA official spokesperson, said: “This year’s KPL has been an unqualified success. This has been not just because the quality of cricket has been of a high standard but also due to the high quality of production. The presence of world-class cricketers in the commentary panel of Star Sports has also added to the quality of the broadcast. Many congratulations to everyone involved in the process of putting this whole project together.”
The tournament’s semi-finals will be played at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium here on 20 and 22 September, with a break day on September 21. The grand finale of KPL 2017 will be on 23 September.
The tournament is being played in the memory of SDNR Wadiyar, former president of KSCA and scion of the Mysore royal family.
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