2021 Kashmir Premier League (Pakistan)
1st edition of the Kashmir Premier League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Dates | 6 August 2021 – 17 August 2021 |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Single round-robin and playoffs |
| Host | Azad Kashmir |
| Champions | Rawalakot Hawks (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Muzaffarabad Tigers |
| Participants | 6 |
| Matches | 19 |
| Player of the series | Hussain Talat (227 runs and 4 wickets) |
| Most runs | Sharjeel Khan (296) |
| Most wickets | Salman Irshad (16) |
| Official website | kpl20 |
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]
Franchises
| 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
Promotion in media
The league was promoted on social media by the hashtag #KheloAazadiSe (lit. play with freedom).[8] The brand ambassador of the 2021 KPL was Shahid Afridi and the official singer was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.[9]
Anthem
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]
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony took place on the 6th of August 2021.[1]
Venue
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 | |||
 | |||
Umpires
- Aleem Dar
- Ahsan Raza
- Asif Yaqoob
- Rashid Riaz
- Shozab Raza
- Faisal Afridi
- Ghaffar Kazmi
- Imtiaz Iqbal
- Ahmed Shahab
- Majid Hussain
- Mohammad Sajid
League stage
Points table
| 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 |
- Top 4 teams qualified for the playoffs
- Advanced to Qualifier
- Advanced to Eliminator 1
Notes:
- C = Champions;
- R = Runner-up;
- (x) = Position at the end of the tournament;
Summary
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 |
League progression
| Win | Loss | No result |
- Note: The total points at the end of each group match are listed.
- Note: Click on the points (group matches) or W/L (playoffs) to see the match summary.
Fixtures
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]
Rawalakot Hawks 194/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Mirpur Royals 151/8 (20 overs) |
- Mirpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Kotli Lions 169 (20 overs) |
v |
Bagh Stallions 172/5 (19.4 overs) |
- Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to bat.
Overseas Warriors 153/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Muzaffarabad Tigers 156/3 (17.2 overs) |
- Overseas Warriors won the toss and elected to bat.
Bagh Stallions 211/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Mirpur Royals 196/8 (20 overs) |
- Mirpur Royals won the toss and elected to field.
Overseas Warriors 145/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Mirpur Royals 146/5 (18.1 overs) |
- Overseas Warriors won the toss and elected to bat
Rawalakot Hawks 175/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Muzaffarabad Tigers 174/8 (20 overs) |
- Rawalakot Hawks won the toss and elected to bat
- Mohammad Wasim took the first hat trick in KPL history.[15]
Kotli Lions 195/4 (20 overs) |
v |
Muzaffarabad Tigers 196/5 (18.3 overs) |
- Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to bat
- Zeeshan Ashraf scored the first century in KPL history
Bagh Stallions 186/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Overseas Warriors 190/5 (19.2 overs) |
- Bagh Stallions won the toss and elected to bat
Bagh Stallions 156/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Rawalakot Hawks 157/5 (18.2 overs) |
- Bagh Stallions won the toss and elected to bat
Mirpur Royals 211/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Kotli Lions 211/8 (20 overs) |
- Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to field
- Super Over: Kotli Lions 2 all out, Mirpur Royals 4/0.
Bagh Stallions 213/4 (20 overs) |
v |
Muzaffarabad Tigers 214/6 (18.4 overs) |
Sohaib Maqsood 59 (40) Aamir Sohail 2/37 (4 overs) |
- Muzaffarabad Tigers won the toss and elected to field
Rawalakot Hawks 145/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Overseas Warriors 133/3 (13.1 overs) |
- Overseas Warriors won the toss and elected to field
- Target reduced to 133 from 18 overs
Overseas Warriors 211/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Kotli Lions 215/2 (19 overs) |
- Kotli Lions won the toss and elected to field
Muzaffarabad Tigers 227/6 (20 overs) |
v |
Mirpur Royals 231/5 (19.4 overs) |
- Muzaffarabad Tigers won the toss and elected to field
- Mohammad Hafeez scored his first century in the KPL
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Preliminary final | Final | |||||||||||
| 14 August — Muzaffarabad | 17 August — Muzaffarabad | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Muzaffarabad Tigers | 164/8 (20 overs) | 1 | Rawalakot Hawks | 169/7 (20 overs) | ||||||||
| 1 | Rawalakot Hawks | 157 (19.4 overs) | 16 August — Muzaffarabad | 2 | Muzaffarabad Tigers | 162/9 (20 overs) | |||||||
| 3 | Mirpur Royals | 236/4 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 15 August — Muzaffarabad | 1 | Rawalakot Hawks | 237/6 (19.4 overs) | ||||||||||
| 4 | Overseas Warriors | 160/9 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 3 | Mirpur Royals | 162/6 (18.4 overs) | |||||||||||
Preliminary
Qualifier
Muzaffarabad Tigers 164/8 (20 overs) |
v |
Rawalakot Hawks 157 (19.4 overs) |
- Rawalakot Hawks won the toss and elected to field
Eliminator 1
Overseas Warriors 160/9 (20 overs) |
v |
Mirpur Royals 162/6 (18.4 overs) |
- Mirpur Royals won the toss and elected to field
Eliminator 2
Mirpur Royals 236/4 (20 overs) |
v |
Rawalakot Hawks 237/6 (19.4 overs) |
- Rawalakot Hawks won the toss and elected to field
- Sharjeel Khan and Kashif Ali scored their first centuries in the KPL.[16]
Final
Rawalakot Hawks 169/7 (20 overs) |
v |
Muzaffarabad Tigers 162/9 (20 overs) |
- Muzaffarabad Tigers won the toss and elected to field
Statistics
Most runs
| 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 |
- Source: Cricinfo
Most wickets
| 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 |
- Source: Cricinfo
Awards
Individual awards
| 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 |
Dream Team
Controversies
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]
Notes
- 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]