College kids selected to play in the Karnataka Premier League are yet to digest their potential star status
College kids selected to play in the Karnataka Premier League are yet to digest their potential star status
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Feeling Lucky: Sadiq Kirmani |
College-goers chosen to play for the inaugural Karnataka Premier League (KPL) are still living the lives of normal college kids. But soon, all that could change. Chetan Williams of Mysore Maharajas and a familiar face in state cricket, says that once players go back to college after the series, things would have changed drastically.
"People from all walks of life will approach them," he said, adding, "A lot of recognition and leniency from the college will be there, for sure."
But with the star status will come the pressure, he says. "The pressure is very different here in the KPL, especially for many first-timers playing to a huge crowd under the lights. There will be a lot of expectations and actually being on the ground with everybody watching is a whole new ballgame."
Lucky chance
Sadiq Kirmani , a third-year B Com student in Jain University, is Kiri to his friends. He hasn't yet got to the stage of feeling pressured and just feels "really lucky because not everybody gets this chance".
He's been chosen to be the wicket-keeper for Bangalore Brigadiers and if his friend Kaunain is to be believed, he's playful both on and off the field and that promises some fun times during the league.
Kirmani's college-mate, Abrar Kazi from team Mysore Maharajas, is a first-year B Com student and has played in the under-13, 15, 17, 19 and now 22 for the state.u00a0 Abrar says he "always expects the unexpected" and according to friend Hardik, he likes bikes and loves to hang out with his friends. But all that may have to take a backseat since Abrar says he wants to concentrate on the Under-22 matches for the state after the KPL.u00a0
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Twinkle Twinkle: Vinay Gowda(centre) with the Jain University college cricket team.u00a0 Hardik(sitting third from the left) and Kaunain (standing extreme right) are happy that their friends have got through to KPLu00a0 |
Vinay Gowda, from team Bijapur Bulls, is the college cricket coach at Jain University. Having played for Dell in the corporate T20 matches in the last two years, he is absolutely "excited and happy that my skills were recognised by the Bulls".
According to him, T20 is all about "huge hitters and good containing bowlers and KPL is a good platform for young state players to showcase their talents."
But what about the fatigue factor after the IPL series? Vinay doesn't think that's a problem. "People will be curious to see what is new here especially since all the players are from the state and the tickets are affordable," he said.
