Dehradun, Sep 25 (IANS) Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) Chairperson Sunil Joshi on Friday said the franchise league is rapidly evolving into a vital feeder system for the state's aspiring talent, as it opens up pathways for players to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Women’s Premier League (WPL), and the national teams.

“UPL is a platform for players. It gives them a pathway to move towards the India level and potentially the IPL. There are several state-level competitions, including Ranji Trophy and Under-19 cricket, but UPL gives opportunities to players who may not have been selected for those teams. They get a chance to play for one of the teams and showcase their talent,” Joshi said in a statement by the tournament on Friday.

“Our aim is to give these young players as many opportunities as possible so that they can improve themselves, make Uttarakhand proud and eventually reach the India level. We want their talent to be recognised and for them to go on to represent India,” he added.

Citing the rise of players like Mumbai Indians pacer Akash Madhwal, along with women's cricketers Raghvi Bisht, Prema Rawat, Nandini Kashyap and Neelam Bhardwaj, Joshi pointed out that the tournament provides a crucial bridge between grassroots cricket and high-performance environments.

“We have seen players like Raghvi Bisht, Prema Rawat, Neelam Bhardwaj and several other young cricketers coming through the system. There are also players from UPL who have gone on to play in the IPL. We have seen the example of Akash Madhwal as well, and many other youngsters are moving forward,” he said.

Highlighting the scale of player engagement in the current edition, Joshi noted that having seven franchises has led to more playing opportunities across the state. “That is exactly what we want from UPL. There are seven teams and around 77 players getting an opportunity through those teams. If you compare that with the limited number of places available in a Ranji team, UPL gives a much larger pool of players the opportunity to showcase their talent.”

Joshi also praised the state’s talent identification process, which actively scouts prospects from remote and mountainous regions before integrating them into the district and state framework.

“The system works from the village level to the district level and then from the district to the state. Children who play cricket in villages are identified and brought into the district system. Even if the facilities at that level are limited, the children continue to work hard and develop their skills.

“After that, they get the opportunity to come to bigger grounds and showcase their talent. Ultimately, their hard work is what takes them forward. Prema Rawat is one such example of a player who has come through a challenging background and reached this level,” he said, while acknowledging the administrative efforts of former secretary Mahim Verma and PC Verma in building Uttarakhand's cricket ecosystem.

Joshi signed off by expressing confidence that the league will continue to produce future stars for Indian cricket. “Most of the boys playing are around 19 or 20 years old, and they simply need opportunities to play at this level. UPL is providing them with that chance. There are one or two quality players in every team, which is why the matches are so competitive, and we are seeing close contests.

“Our vision is to see UPL continue to grow and produce more players for the IPL, the Women’s Premier League and, ultimately, the Indian team. Every player wants to represent the country, and we want to create an environment where more youngsters from Uttarakhand get that opportunity.

“I have closely followed the tournament. I have seen a lot of talent among the people and young players here. They needed a stage to showcase that talent, and UPL is providing them with that platform.”

--IANS

nr/bsk/