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2021 Kashmir Premier League (Pakistan) - Wikipedia

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2021 Kashmir Premier league
Tournament logo
Dates6 August 2021 – 17 August 2021
Administrator(s)Pakistan Cricket Board
Cricket formatTwenty20
Tournament format(s)Single round-robin and playoffs
Host(s)Azad Kashmir
ChampionsRawalakot Hawks (1st title)
Runners-upMuzaffarabad Tigers
Participants6
Matches19
Player of the seriesHussain Talat (227 runs and 4 wickets)
Most runsSharjeel Khan (296)
Most wicketsSalman Irshad (16)
Official websitekpl20.com

2022 →

The 2021 Kashmir Premier League (also known as 2021 KPL or, for sponsorship reasons, SRG KPL 2021), was the inaugural season of the Kashmir Premier League which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The tournament featured six teams and was held from 6 August 2021 to 17 August 2021 in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir. The opening ceremony and first match of the tournament were held at the Muzaffarabad Stadium on 6 August 2021.[1]

The final was held on 17 August and saw Rawalakot Hawks defeating Muzaffarabad Tigers by 8 runs to win the first title.[2] Asif Afridi of Rawalakot Hawks was awarded the man of the match award for his bowling figures of 3/21.[3]

Cities represented by KPL teams

Team Owner City Captain Coach
Bagh Stallions Hameed Khan & Tauqir Sultan Awan Bagh Shan Masood Abdul Rehman
Kotli Lions Faisal Nadeem, Khalid Zia and Nasir Yousuf Kotli Kamran Akmal Abdul Razzaq
Mirpur Royals Adil Waheed & Suleman Raza[4][5] Mirpur Shoaib Malik Inzamam-ul-Haq
Muzaffarabad Tigers Arshad Khan Tanoli[6] Muzaffarabad Mohammad Hafeez Mohtashim Rasheed
Overseas Warriors Muhammad Zakir Ali Kashmiri diaspora Imad Wasim Mushtaq Ahmed
Rawalakot Hawks Jan Wali Shaheen Rawalakot Shahid Afridi Arshad Khan

Squads

Bagh Stallions Kotli Lions Mirpur Royals Muzaffarabad Tigers Overseas Warriors Rawalakot Hawks

The league was promoted on social media by the hashtag #KheloAazadiSe.[8] The brand ambassador of the 2021 KPL was Shahid Afridi and the official singer was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.[9]

The official anthem of the KPL, “The Aazadi Anthem” was released on 16 February 2021 and it was sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.[10]

The opening ceremony took place on the 6th of August 2021.[1]

The whole tournament took place in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir.[11] Around 2,500 spectators were allowed to watch the match in stadium due to COVID-19.[12]

Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium
Capacity: 10,000
Pos Team Pld W L NR Pts NRR
1 Rawalakot Hawks (C) 5 3 1 1 7 0.228
2 Muzaffarabad Tigers (R) 5 3 2 0 6 0.530
3 Mirpur Royals (3rd) 5 3 2 0 6 −0.323
4 Overseas Warriors (4th) 5 2 3 0 4 −0.032
5 Bagh Stallions 5 2 3 0 4 −0.201
6 Kotli Lions 5 1 3 1 3 −0.107

Notes:

  • C = Champions;
  • R = Runner-up;
  • (x) = Position at the end of the tournament;

Against

Team

 Bagh Stallions Kotli Lions Mirpur Royals Muzaffarabad Tigers Overseas Warriors Rawalakot Hawks
Bagh Stallions Won by 5 wickets Won by 15 runs Lost by 4 wickets Lost by 5 wickets Lost by 5 wickets
Kotli Lions Lost in Super Over Lost by 5 wickets Won by 8 wickets Match Abandoned
Mirpur Royals Won by 5 wickets Won by 5 wickets Lost by 43 runs
Muzaffarabad Tigers Won by 7 wickets Lost by 1 run
Overseas Warriors Won by 7 wickets
Rawalakot Hawks

The schedule for the tournament was announced on 2 August 2021.[13] The matches from 12 August onwards were rescheduled due to the Pakistan vs West Indies test series as the timings coincided with each other.[14]

  • Mirpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
  • Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to bat.
  • Overseas Warriors won the toss and elected to bat.
  • Mirpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
  • Overseas Warriors won the toss and elected to bat
  • Rawalakot Hawks won the toss and elected to bat
  • Mohammad Wasim took the first hat trick in KPL history.[15]
  • Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to bat
  • Zeeshan Ashraf scored the first century in KPL history
  • Bagh Stallions won the toss and elected to bat
  • Bagh Stallions won the toss and elected to bat
  • Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to field
  • Super Over: Kotli Lions 2 all out, Mirpur Royals 4/0.
  • Muzaffarabad Tigers won the toss and elected to field
  • Overseas Warriors won the toss and elected to field
  • Target reduced to 133 from 18 overs
  • Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to field
  • Muzaffarabad Tigers won the toss and elected to field
  • Mohammad Hafeez scored his first century in the KPL
  • Rawalakot Hawks won the toss and elected to field
  • Mirpur Royals won the toss and elected to field
  • Rawalakot Hawks won the toss and elected to field
  • Sharjeel Khan and Kashif Ali scored their first centuries in the KPL.[16]
  • Muzaffarabad Tigers won the toss and elected to field
Player Team Matches Runs High score
Sharjeel Khan Mirpur Royals 6 296 141
Zeeshan Ashraf Muzaffarabad Tigers 7 284 107 not out
Shan Masood Bagh Stallions 5 254 78
Kashif Ali Rawalakot Hawks 7 242 114 not out
Shoaib Malik Mirpur Royals 7 240 77
Player Team Matches Wickets Best bowling
Salman Irshad Mirpur Royals 7 16 3/25
Asif Afridi Rawalakot Hawks 7 12 3/21
Amad Butt Mirpur Royals 7 11 3/20
Zaman Khan Rawalakot Hawks 6 10 3/18
Umaid Asif Bagh Stallions 5 9 3/20
Name Team Award
Hussain Talat Rawalakot Hawks Player of the Tournament
Zeeshan Ashraf Muzaffarabad Tigers Best Batsman of the tournament
Asif Afridi Rawalakot Hawks Best Bowler of the tournament
Mohammad Wasim Muzaffarabad Tigers Best Fielder of the tournament
Bismillah Khan Rawalakot Hawks Best Wicket-keeper of the tournament
Salman Irshad Mirpur Royals Best Kashmiri of the tournament
Players

[17]

On 31 July 2021, it was reported that foreign cricketers were requested by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) against taking part in the inaugural Kashmir Premier League (KPL) cricket tournament.[18][19] Former Pakistani wicket keeper Rashid Latif tweeted that BCCI is warning other cricket boards that if their former players took part in Kashmir Premier League, they won't be allowed entry in India or allowed to work in Indian cricket at any level or in any capacity. Former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs, who played for the Overseas Warriors, also accused BCCI of pressuring him to not play in the KPL.[20] The Pakistan cricket board (PCB) expressed displeasure at the reports that BCCI is trying to prevent players from joining the tournament and said that it would raise the issue with the relevant ICC forum.[21][22] Responding to Gibbs and the PCB, the BCCI said that they are well within their rights to take decisions with respect to the cricketing ecosystem in India.[23][24]

On 1 August 2021, former England spinner Monty Panesar pulled out of the tournament. He took to Twitter to reveal the news and said that, "I have decided not to participate in the KPL because of the political tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir issues. I don't want to be in the middle of this, it would make me feel uncomfortable."[25][26] Panesar further said in an interview that "BCCI had 'advised' him that if he played in the event, the 'consequences' of his decision could include not being granted a visa to India in the future and not being allowed to work in the country."[27][28]

On 2 August 2021, the BCCI urged ICC not to recognise the Kashmir Premier League due to the disputed nature of Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.[29] In response, the ICC clarified that the tournament doesn't come under their jurisdiction as it is not an international tournament.[30] The 2021 KPL received 15 million views within the first 5 matches and broke the record for Pakistan's most viewed live sports event launch on digital media. The President of the KPL, Arif Malik, said that the BCCI's efforts to stop the league only popularised it instead.[31][32]

The KPL did not pay players for any player awards (e.g., man of the match) and end of the season awards. They later cleared all player related dues in June 2022.[33][34]

  1. ^ a b c d Centrally contracted players had to withdraw from the KPL due to the West Indies tour although those who weren’t chosen for the tour did participate in the KPL.[7]
  1. ^ a b "KPL kicks off with beautiful opening ceremony". Bol News. 6 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Muzaffarabad Tigers vs Rawalakot Hawks Scorecard". ESPNCricinfo.
  3. ^ "KPL 2021: Shahid Afridi 'proud' of Rawlakot Hawks after winning title". Geo News. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Suleman Raza buys Mirpur Royals to promote Mirpur globally". 5 August 2021.
  5. ^ "UK businessman buys Mirpur Royals". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Muzaffarabad Tigers - Kashmir Premier League(KPL) - Tigers Squad". 30 October 2015.
  7. ^ "Centrally contracted players will not be part of KPL: PCB". Cricket Pakistan. 1 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Khelo Azadi Say – Kashmir Premier League starts today". Daily Pakistan (newspaper). 6 August 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  9. ^ "KPL 2021: Shahid Afridi feels 'wonderful' in Muzaffarabad". Geo News. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  10. ^ "KPL anthem unites stars & sportspersons". The News International (newspaper). 11 July 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Kashmir Premier League 2021: Schedule, time, venue and all details inside". Geo Super. 2 August 2021.
  12. ^ "KPL 2021: Organisers set up bio-secure bubble for players, staff members".
  13. ^ "Kashmir Premier League 2021: Schedule, time, venue and all details inside". Geo Super. 2 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Pak vs WI: Timings of KPL 2021 matches changed". Geo News. 11 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Watch: Mohammad Wasim Jr. makes history with first KPL 2021 hat-trick". Geo News. 10 August 2021.
  16. ^ "KPL 2021: Rawalkot Hawks' Kashif Ali leads team into final with century". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Dream Team of Kashmir Premier League 2021 announced". Pakistan Observer (newspaper). 27 August 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  18. ^ "India 'threatening cricketers' signed up for Kashmir tournament". Al Jazeera. 31 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Rashid Latif, Herschelle Gibbs slam BCCI for allegedly warning cricket boards against participation in the Kashmir Premier League". News18. 1 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Herschelle Gibbs accuses BCCI of pressuring him to not play in Kashmir Premier League". Hindustan Times. 1 August 2021.
  21. ^ "PCB to move ICC against Indian cricket board for pressuring cricketers against playing in Kashmir Premier League". Dawn (newspaper). 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  22. ^ "PCB vs BCCI over Kashmir Premier League". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Kashmir Premier League: After PCB, Shahid Afridi Makes Serious Allegations Against BCCI". ABP News. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  24. ^ "'Well within our rights': BCCI on allegation that it's threatening Kashmir league participants". Dawn (newspaper). 1 August 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  25. ^ "England's Monty Panesar excuses from participating in KPL due to BCCI threat". Dunya News. 2 August 2021.
  26. ^ "Monty Panesar Pulls Out From KPL, 'I Would Have Lost a Huge Opportunity in India'". News18. 2 August 2021.
  27. ^ Ghaffar (3 August 2021). "Not our jurisdiction: ICC on BCCI's attempt to have Kashmir Premier League unrecognised". Dawn (Newspaper). Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  28. ^ "India threatened me through ECB against joining KPL 2021, Monty Panesar says". Geo News. 6 August 2021.
  29. ^ "BCCI urges ICC to not recognise Kashmir Premier League". ESPNcricinfo. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  30. ^ "ICC sets aside BCCI plea, says it has 'no jurisdiction' over KPL". The News International (newspaper). 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  31. ^ "Kashmir Premier League breaks all viewership records on digital media". Daily Pakistan. 9 August 2021.
  32. ^ "BCCI's threats ended up giving KPL a boost, says Arif Malik". The News International. 3 August 2021.
  33. ^ "KPL Finally Clears All Pending Payments of 1st Season". /propakistani.pk. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  34. ^ "KPL clears players dues for inaugural season after lapse of one year". Pakistan Today. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.