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North Texas Cricket Association (NTCA) launched the Dallas Premier League (DPL) T20 tournament amidst great fanfare yesterday.  The inaugural match was played under lights at the Sandy Lake ground in Carrollton. 

Several hundred fans watched the opening match live at the ground and more watched the live telecast of the match on FunAsia TV.  FunAsia will broadcast all matches live and has also agreed to provide the organizers one hour of air time on Thursdays via its 700AM radio channel.  The video feed will also be accessible via smart phones and via Video on Demand (VOD).

Pic (above): Several hundred fans watched the opening match played under flood lights on September 7, 2011.

The tournament features seven franchises with team owners selecting players through an IPL-style auction process.  Individuals and businesses paid NTCA a fee of $2750 per team to become team owners and each team was allowed a salary cap of 250 points.  Owners were allowed to buy an additional 50 points through a one-time payment of $500 to NTCA.   A player pool containing 120 players was created and, as per the DPL guidelines, bids ranging from 10 points and 80 points were permitted in a 'first-to-the-post' auction.  The organizers said that the draft process enhanced excitement surrounding the tournament.  

Several non-NTCA players  signed up to play in the DPL, including Sushil Nadkarni, Asif Mujtaba, Nasir Islam and Jermaine Lawson.  According to the DPL Owners Guide, up to two non-NTCA players are allowed in each team upon payment of a nominal fee to NTCA. 

However, the tournament rules require that each non-NTCA player be part of the playing eleven in at least two preliminary games in order to play in the play-offs.

Ramesh Thyagarajan, DPL Commissioner, wrote in an email: "This concept is along similar lines with IPL and has already created a major hype in the community.  We are so excited about this venture and the possibilities it brings for the coming years."

In a message to his league, Syed Shahanawaz, President of NTCA, called the DPL a 'carefully thought of project with a sole intention of helping NTCA grow and establish itself in the community.' 

"The DPL has already caused immense amount of visibility, potential marketing opportunities and opened up unlimited options to explore," Mr. Shahanawaz wrote.  "There is enormous potential for NTCA if this effort is channelized correctly, I seek your support in making this happen."

In the inaugural edition, DPL's winner will be awarded $3000 in cash while several other prizes are also in store including $100 for the Man of the Match for each match.