The inaugural edition of GPCL was held in India last October.
Three months after the Exhibition tournament held in October 2022, the league structure was released by the organizers which comprises a minimum of 2 international marquee players who have represented their country, 7 first class professional players, one U-19 & U23 player, 2-3 top club level players and one wild card entrant.
The window for GPCL T20 has become clear after clarity on the World Cup dates, which is likely now to start on October 5, and end on November 19, with the final scheduled to be at the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad. The venue for GPCL has not been disclosed as yet, though there is a strong speculation of it being hosted in India again. Ms Kanthi D Suresh has met the Sports Minister, Anurag Thakur to discuss the same. The Middle Eastern countries having a large Indian population are also keen to have cricket leagues hosted in their destination giving a chance to their local cricketers as well.
An intent to conduct the league in different destinations of the World has been communicated to the ICC. The league structure is compliant with the revised ICC Regulations on Sanctioning of Events and Player Release (the “Regulations”) which came into effect on 10 April 2022. The Power Sportz League division is looking at firming up destinations for the next 5 seasons which may include USA as well, on account of the large Indian diaspora presence.
The hunt for franchisee owners for all 6 teams is set to begin shortly. Global markets are being scouted for potential interested parties. We wish to associate with team owners who are passionate about providing a platform to groom a new breed of International stars, said Kanthi D Suresh, Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Power Sportz TV, unlike most other leagues that focus on the availability of existing stars. There is no league currently at the International level that focuses on domestic T20 talent from different countries to bring together on a common platform. The ability to include one player in each team from the host country in which it is organized is an added incentive for most Associate Cricket boards to want such leagues to be held in their country. Hence, team owners also could be from Associate Member Nation countries, according to Kanthi.
Cricket as a sport is fast growing in popularity in the Middle East, USA, and Western Europe. The T20 format is what seems comfortable to most new nations taking to the sport. The Global Sports Sponsorship Market size was estimated at USD 71.89 billion in 2021, USD 77.69 billion in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.32% to reach USD 116.17 billion by 2027.