Dravid lauds KSCA T20 cricket’s role

Former India skipper Rahul Dravid on Thursday termed the upcoming Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 tournament as a fine platform for the young state players to showcase their talent, which can open the door to the lucrative Indian Premier League.

The latest edition of the tournament will be played across Mysuru, Hubballi and Bengaluru from June 20 to July 12. 

“Having myself been involved in the IPL for many years, I know for a fact that it is a tournament that is followed by a lot of IPL teams. There will be scouts who come to the games live, but many of them watch it on television as well,” Dravid said after unveiling the trophy.  “The scores, statistics and data from these matches are watched very closely and it really helps a lot of these players get into the IPL,” he added.

Dravid cited the example of Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Yash Raj Punja, who hails from Karnataka.

“He has not played a lot of cricket in Karnataka. But he did really well in the IPL. He was able to play in the IPL and he was able to actually perform quite well in the IPL. So, there are some fantastic stories that come out of tournaments like this,” said Dravid.