Saurashtra Premier League 2023, organised by the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), is the third edition of the regional T20 cricket competition.
The first two editions of the SPL were in 2019 and 2022, with Covid-19 forcing a gap in between the first two editions. SCA managed to put together an impressive tournament this time around as well, with the final all set to take place on Thursday, August 31.
When Gohilwad Gladiators take on Kutch Warriors at Rajkot, it will mark the culmination of a fantastic tournament that has braved tough odds and obstacles to ensure aspiring cricketers from the region were not left disappointed.
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There were fears SPL 2023 would not be held - SCA
Initially, SPL 2023 was supposed to be held in June 2023 and everything was in place for the tournament. However, nature had other plans. A cyclone, named Biparjoy, that came in from the Arabian Sea, ravaged the region and forced the postponement of the tournament.
"It was indeed very disappointing to postpone SPL 2023 due to the effects of the Biparjoy cyclone, especially since all preparations were done and we were looking forward to it. When we had to make a hard decision, we were not even sure when we would have another window to conduct the tournament," SCA Spokesperson told TSN.
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"Even the players were quite disappointed. but in the situation which was totally out of our hand, we had no other way but to take the hard decision," he added.
How SPL 2023 was revived?
Amid fears that the third edition of the tournament would not take place this year, SCA officials decided to not give up. Under the leadership of President Jaydev Shah and Niranjan Shah, the organisers toiled hard to find an alternate window in August.
They had to navigate player schedules, international windows and commercial commitments of all stakeholders. It was not easy.
However, there is always dawn after the darkest hour. And the SCA finally managed to kick-off SPL 2023 on August 23.
"Once the fact of calling off the tournament sunk in, we started looking for the possibility of another good window. Mentally and administratively we geared up ourselves, especially under leadership of Niranjan Shah and Jaydev Shah," the spokesperson said.
"There were many challenges to be met, first and foremost feasibility of the new window considering many International and domestic tight schedules and most importantly favourable weather.
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"Thankfully we got a suitable window, and here we are, another chapter of SPL well conducted and well administered. Sincere appreciation of all vendors and service providers for their good support so that we could gear up and organise the tournament."
What next for SPL as a brand?
After 10 matches and countless heroic performances later, we stand at the culmination of a tournament that has provided a platform for the likes of Prerak Mankad, Jay Gohil, Tarang Gohel, Parshwaraj Rana and Sammar Gajjar.
SCA are hopeful that SPL will continue to be the platform that gives aspiring players a chance to shine and get IPL contracts and even an India call-up in due time.
"We have seen good talents have been recognised on IPL, national and International levels after success of SPL 2019 and SPL 2022. This season (is also the same), and all upcoming seasons of SPL shall surely bring out good talents from the region," the spokesperson added.
SCA are also confident that the popularity of SPL 2023 as a brand will only increase from here. The success of SPL 2023 is an indication.
"All three chapters of SPL so far have had phenomenal success. More than its brand value, aim and objective of our association are to give the best possible platform to its talented players to have good exposure of the format.
"And that is the main reason for the success of the tournament. Down the line, we are absolutely confident that the popularity of the tournament shall increase by leaps and bounds."
