![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cssgroupsite.com\/lighthouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Alleppey-Ripples-1.jpg\" "\\"Alleppey")
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KPL Dubai (Kerala Premier League Dubai) was formed by Citifortune International Marketing, an event management company established in Dubai, in consideration of the passion for cricket in the region. The objective of KPL was to create an elite new sporting event to encourage cricket within the local population and promote cross-cultural integration.
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This tournament, held under the auspices of the Dubai Cricket Council and staged at the International Cricket Council Global Cricket Academy Oval ground, had total prize money amounting to an astounding Dhs 60,000 \u2014 the highest prize to be offered to a domestic team.
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Kerala\u2019s Sports Minister K.B Ganesh Kumar inaugurated the event, in the presence of brand ambassadors India\u2019s Test star Shantakumaran Sreesanth with film stars Suresh Gopi and Bhama on January 20. As Stephan Devassy, Brand Ambassador for Alleppey Ripples and world-renowned musician, enticed and encouraged the enthusiastic crowds with his riveting performance during the first day of matches.
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C.T.K Nasir, one of the seven directors of the tournament, said: \u201cI have played domestic cricket for the last 30 years here and wanted to create a tournament which will stand out and hence a group of like-minded people joined hands to create this concept. It is a tournament not only for the cricketers from Kerala state but for players from all over India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, UAE and every domestic player.\u201d
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\u201cKerala\u2019s 14 districts and two zones (Malabar and Travancore) have been divided into different teams. Every team should have a minimum of three players from Kerala in the eleven and the remaining can be made up of local players and a maximum of two overseas players. One player should be under the age of 22 to encourage youngsters into the game,\u201d he added.
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Eight districts will only participate in the first edition. \u201cFour out of the eight districts have already been purchased by owners for the next five years. The first edition will be contested by eight teams and we will expand it next year with more districts, without compromising on the standard of the teams,\u201d he added.
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Domestic teams<\/strong> UAE\u2019s top domestic teams have purchased some of the districts. TS Kaladharan, Chairman of Consolidated Shipping Services Group, which was one of UAE\u2019s strongest domestic team, purchased Alleppey. \u201cThis tournament has encouraged our team to stage a comeback to domestic cricket after five years. This will be great tournament and we haven\u2019t flown in international players, we will compete with our top players,\u201d he said. \u201cAlleppey Ripples with the power and pride of Devas Chundan for KPL\u201d In the presence of CSS, KPL, Dubai Cricket Council, and Media dignitaries CSS Alleppey Ripples and its coaching staff were officially launched and inaugurated at the Pathumuri (South Indian Garden Restaurant) at the Ramada Continental Hotel-Dubai. Speaking at the team launch, Chairman and Owner of Alleppey Ripples, T S Kaladharan announced, \u201cCSS Group is pleased to announce its purchase of Team Alleppey Ripples for the next 5 seasons of the Kerala Premier League (KPL). The investment in the team shows the continuous support of CSS towards the sporting fraternity of the United Arab Emirates offering first class facilities for all sporting events.\u201d In the first match of the KPL Dubai cricket tournament, CSS Alleppey Ripples defeated Springs Cricket Academy Trivandrum Royals by an impressive 52 runs. In the second match, CSS Alleppey Ripples beat Wedlock Malapurram Knights by 27 Runs. After beginning the tournament undefeated, CSS Alleppey Ripples continued their impressive winning ways by posting a 55 runs victory over Yogi Group Trissur Dynamites?. In their fourth and fifth match, CSS Alleppey Ripples won by a narrow margin of runs, first by seven against Thumbay Kasargod Leopards and next by eight runs against Xpress Money Farooq CC. Calicut Zamorins. Both matches proved to be exhilarating whereby the batting and fielding of Alleppey Ripples showcased by the entire team were unstoppable. In one of the most high-profile matches of the tournament, Alleppey defeated Kannur by three wickets in a nail biting match that had onlookers on the edge of their seats. With this win and 12 points, Alleppey Ripples had indeed secured their place in the semi-final berth in the Twenty20 tournament. T. S. Kaladharan, Chairman of the Consolidated Shipping Services Group and owner of the Alleppey team, said, \u201cWe are perfectly happy with the way our team is performing. We don\u2019t have a particular star, but a balanced side and all of them are chipping in with their contributions. The all-rounders in the team are making a difference and we are looking forward to the semi-final.\u201d Alleppey captain Harish M said, \u201cWe are clicking as a team because all players are contributing in equal measure. It once again shows that in the Twenty20 format, any thing is possible with a team performance and it is indeed a creditable victory as Kannur is virtually the UAE national team with almost all the top players in their squad.\u201d After being forced to abandon the match against Trotters Wayanad Highlanders due to bad weather conditions and therefore share the points, Alleppey Ripples were set to play in their first semi-final match. Despite unpredictable weather conditions during the course of the game, the Alleppey Ripples team fought hard to maintain their position in the league, having yet been undefeated. However due to some extremely good fielding and batting from the Trotters Wayanad Highlanders, Alleppey Ripples succumbed to defeat, with eight balls to spare in the tight semifinals match. With the tournament now drawing to a close we would like to congratulate the entire CSS Alleppey Ripples Team, Coaching Staff, CSS Senior Management, and all of the CSS Group staff and their families who came out to support the team during this tournament. Your support and positive attitudes is highly appreciated and we look forward to another season of CSS Alleppey Ripples-KPL cricket. On behalf of the Chairman and Senior Management of CSS I would like to thank the Management team of KPL Dubai and the Dubai Cricket Council for a well organised tournament, which brings value added attention to the game of Cricket not only in the GCC, but worldwide. The dedication of your team and everyone involved is highly appreciated and valued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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