The inaugural edition of the Jharkhand Premier League T20 is set to begin from 15th September at the JSCA International Cricket Complex Stadium in Ranchi. Sports management firm TCM is organizing the tournament alongside the Jharkhand Cricket Association. The league comprises of 33 matches that will be played within a span of 17 days among six teams. The six teams representing different zones of the states will be from Ranchi, Dumka, Dhanbad, Singhbhum, Jamshedpur and Bokaro.
The long-term plan by JSCA and TCM is to make the tournament an annual affair, which will help in the grassroots development of the sport in the state.
The title naming rights of the league has been won by Karbonn Smartphones, while the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League 2020; Dream11 have been roped in as the ‘Powered By’ partner for the JPLT20.
Meanwhile, India’s first multi-sport aggregator platform, Fancode have the rights to stream the matches live on their platform.
For Indian mobile company, Karbonn, this may be a strategic move as they are known for making low budget smartphones. Their target audience is mainly people with low incomes or states that are less developed; therefore, sponsoring JPL will help them gain visibility in Jharkhand and hence increase their market in this state.
MD of Karbonn Mobiles, Sudhir Hasija said, “We are pleased to be associated as the title sponsor of the Jharkhand T20. Our partnership with The JSCA demonstrates our efforts in promoting cricket talent across India. We believe the Jharkhand T20 with the current talent pool will be a spectacular success.”
A spokesperson of Fancode said, “We are happy to partner with Jharkhand Premier League and live-stream all the matches on our platform. This partnership is in line with FanCode’s endeavor to bring sporting action to Indian sports fans and also a good opportunity to showcase domestic talent to a wider audience in India.”
CEO of TCM group, Basant Dhawan said, “We are excited to partner with the JSCA to the inaugural Jharkhand T20 League in Ranchi. The association of big national brands – Karbonn mobiles & Dream11 clearly exhibits the power of Cricket sponsorships for brands even at the state level.”