The first edition of the Uttar Pradesh T20 league will be held in August 2023 – here’s all you need to know about the UPT20, including start dates and venues.
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The first-ever T20 league organised by the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association will be played from August 30 till September 16. The tournament marks the rise of domestic intra-state T20 leagues in India, with at least 10 other states having their own domestic tournaments.
Who are the teams in UPT20?
Six franchises will be in action, with cities Varanasi, Meerut, Noida, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Kanpur being represented.
What will be the venue?
Every game of the 18-day tournament will be played in Kanpur, at the Green Park Stadium. All games will be day-night matches.
Team owners in UPT20
The franchise auctions were held on August 16 (Wednesday) in Lucknow. According to reports, there were eight interested bidders but one was disqualified for lacking cricketing experience. The base price to purchase the six teams was INR 5 crores.
The Kanpur team was bought by VCORP Flavours Private Limited for INR 7.2 crores, while Lucknow was bought by Ekana Sportz City and G.C. Construction and Development for INR 6 crores.
Team Varanasi was acquired for INR 6.5 crores, Meerut was bought by Team Aviation for INR 5.5 crores. The last two teams, Gorakhpur and Noida were bought for INR 6 crores each.
When are the player auctions?
The player auctions for the tournament will be held on August 20 (Sunday). Every team will have a budget of INR 1 crore to build their team.
Broadcast details
The official broadcast details are not revealed, but sources suggest Viacom18 could hold exclusive media rights. The announce will be made after the player auctions.
States with T20 leagues
The UP20 will be the tenth T20 league in India, after Andhra Premier League, Baroda T20 League, Karnataka Premier League, KCA President’s Cup T20, Maharashtra Premier League, Odisha Premier League, Saurashtra Premier League, T20 Mumbai League and Tamil Nadu Premier League.