The first ever of its kind Pune District Premier T20 League was kick started on Friday. T20 district cricket league has six teams and aims at promoting cricket in the rural areas of Pune district.

The main objective is to tap rural talent. The money from the tournament will go into the development of infrastructure in the rural areas

said Rohan Pate, the franchise owner of the Parvati Peshwas, president, Maharashtra Cricket Association Ramesh Bondre, chirman PDCA and Ashish Desai of PDPL.

Seven matches have been organised at Manchar to boost taluka cricket. Five players in each team have been selected from the talukas – compulsorily – so that they get an opportunity to play with the city boys,” said PDCA chairman Ramesh Bondre.

Ashish Desai said,

Like the IPL, the clubs participating are owned mostly by corporate houses. The idea is to grow it year after year, for five years, so that the franchisee buys a team today, owns an asset with significant growth potential and can benefit from substantial revenues from various sources as the league develops.

The PDPL will encourage budding cricketers who are good enough to make it at the International Cricket, but don’t get a platform to prove themselves and this need will be fulfilled by PDPL. AIDS and Cricket awareness campaigns will be carried out in rural and urban areas.