THE super success of Bahrain Premier League (BPL), the first-ever franchise-based T20 tournament to be held in Bahrain, has spurred its president Mohammed Mansoor to further develop the game of cricket on the island.
The BPL was held over four Fridays with the final on March 16 at the Isa Town Cricket Ground with six teams - Intex Lions, Awan Warriors, SRam and MRam Falcons, Four Square Challengers, Bahrain Supergiants and Kalaam Knight Riders - backed by leading business houses in Bahrain competing.
Earlier, leading players in Bahrain were auctioned and the best bid and bought for handsome amounts.
“I attribute the success of BPL to Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s vision and without his backing I would not have been able to host such a huge event over four Fridays,” says BPL president Mohammed Mansoor.
“Cricket Bahrain Association and its president Salim Eliyaas and title sponsors Coca-Cola and its managing director Mohammed Akheel also contributed to BPL’s success.”
Support
All this would not have be possible without the support and encouragement of Shaikh Khalid and HKH Sports and its CEO Mohammed Shahid, added Mansoor, a die-hard cricket fan himself who ventured into organising the game by buying a franchise in the Mangalore Cricket League, another successful T20 tournament being held in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, India.
Awan Warriors beat Intex Lions in the final last Friday to win the top prize of $6,500, the biggest prize ever won by any team in Bahrain since the first match was played way back in 1932, according to a cricket historian.
With the inaugural event done and dusted, Mansoor is now keen on building a state-of-the-art sports complex, including an indoor cricket facility, with dressing rooms and stands for spectators.
“It’s going to be one of its kind,” says Mansoor, a leading businessman and CEO and managing director of Exelon.
“It will be designed in such a way that it can be used for other sports too, like indoor football, basketball, volleyball etc.
“The complex will also have a fully-fledged gym, an area for musical concerts, theatres, special playing area for children, restaurants and much more. It will have everything for the entire family who can spend a whole day at the complex.
“The first edition of BPL is just the beginning. It will get bigger next year as we plan to increase the number of franchises and get overseas players to play in the BPL,” concluded Mansoor.