Highlighting The Importance Of Madhya Pradesh League 2024

The first-ever edition of the Madhya Pradesh League (MPL 2024) turned out to be really exciting and full of some competitive cricketing action. A total of five teams participated in the inaugural version of MPL 2024 namely Bhopal Leopards, Jabalpur Lions, Malwa Panthers, Rewa Jaguars and Gwalior Cheetahs. The entire 2024 season of the Madhya Pradesh League T20 was hosted at the Gwalior International Cricket Stadium where as many as 12 matches were played including the big-ticket final encounter between the Jabalpur Lions and the Bhopal Leopards. The Jabalpur Lions were crowned as the winners of the inaugural MPL 2024 season after they defeated Bhopal Leopards in the grand finale by a margin of 33 runs. In this article piece, we highlight the importance of Madhya Pradesh League 2024. 

Highlighting the importance of Madhya Pradesh League 2024

1. Madhya Pradesh players getting exposure with the lack of an IPL franchise

The inaugural edition of the Madhya Pradesh League 2024 proved to be a perfect platform especially for the local talent coming from Madhya Pradesh. These players got the big-time opportunity to share the dressing room with some star Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketers like Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Arshad Khan, Kuldeep Sen and Kumar Kartikeya. It was definitely a massive platform for the local Madhya Pradesh cricketers to announce their arrival especially in the shorter format of the game. Although, Madhya Pradesh does not have an IPL team, but the different scouts do keep an eye about what is happening and who are the upcoming talents in the T20 leagues contested in the subcontinent. 

2. India's first-ever Zero waste Premier League

The Madhya Pradesh League 2024 is also India's first-ever zero waste Premier League held at the Gwalior International Cricket Stadium. It is a wonderful iniative to inspire the fans and players, encouraging them to embrace different eco-friendly practices and make a positive impact on the environment. Two of the iconic players in the MPL 2024, Venkatesh Iyer and Rajat Patidar were seen in the promotions of Zero Waste Premier League on the social media platforms. 

3. First state league to have DRS

MPL 2024 is very much different as comparison to the other T20 leagues being played in India such as the Uttar Pradesh League or the Rajasthan Premier League. All the update technologies were used in this T20 competition especially the famous Decision Review System (DRS) that was available for all of the 12 matches. Also, the entire 2024 edition of the Madhya Pradesh League was live broadcasted on the Jio Cinema OTT application.

4. Teams Representing different regions of Madhya Pradesh

The Gwalior Division Cricket Association (GDCA) with the backing of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) launched the recently concluded Madhya Pradesh League T20. Interestingly, the five teams represent five different regions of Madhya Pradesh namely Gwalior (Gwalior Cheetahs), Malwa (Malwa Panthers), Jabalpur (Jabalpur Lions), Bhopal (Bhopal Leopards) and Rewa (Rewa Jaguars). Also, each of these five teams were represented by their icon players like Venkatesh Iyer (Gwalior Cheetahs), Rajat Patidar (Malwa Panthers), Mohammad Arshad Khan (Bhopal Leopards), Saransh Jain (Jabalpur Lions) and Kuldeep Sen (Rewa Jaguars). 

5. 16 player squads

Unlike the Indian Premier League, all the five teams part of the Madhya Pradesh League 2024 consisted of as many as 16 cricketers. Interestingly, a minimum of 18 players is very much necessary to consitute a team in the IPL. It is very much important to have a minimum cap on the number of players in these state T20 leagues so that the talent is not wasted. 

The inaugural edition of the MPL 2024 saw a record breaking attendance on all of the 12 days. Incidentally, a total of 20,000 people were present everyday at the Gwalior International Cricket Stadium during the star-studded event. 

While representing the Bhopal Leopards, middle-order batsman Aniket Verma went on to smash the fastest century in the Madhya Pradesh League 2024 that came off just 32 deliveries against the Malwa Panthers. During that game, Aniket played a fabulous innings of 123 runs off only 41 balls that included as many as 13 sixes and 8 fours. With a remarkable tally of 273 runs from just 6 games, he also finished as the leading run-getter in the entire T20 tournament. 

"Our aim is to provide them with a platform not only showcases their talent but also propel them onto the national stage. Only MP players who have represented the state at various levels including international, Ranji Trophy, U-23 and U-19 matches can take part in this league. There will be no player auction for the inaugural season," said Mahanaaryaman Scindia. 

"The BCCI has been encouraging state associations to conduct their own premier leagues. It opened an application window in 2023 and GDCA seized the opportunity besides Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan also have their own leagues," he added.