Union Aviation Minister, Victory Venkatesh to flag off APL Season-4

Visakhapatnam: All arrangements are in place for the Andhra Premier League (APL) Season-4, said APL governing council chairman RV Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao. Briefing the media here on Thursday, he informed that Union Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu and actor ‘Victory’ Venkatesh will be the chief guests at the opening ceremony of APL Season-4 scheduled on August 8.

The governing council chairman thanked Venkatesh for his involvement as the brand ambassador for APL Season-4. Along with actor Pragya Jaiswal’s dance performance, there will be a live music performance by young music director Sricharan Pakala. Apart from these, there will be laser and drone shows at the stadium, Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao informed.

Kakinada Kings will face Amaravati Royals in the first match of the APL Season-4, Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao said. The matches will be broadcast live in English on Sony Sports 4 and in Telugu on Sony Sports 5, he informed. He also said that live streaming will be available on the OTT platform FanCode.

Further, the governing council chairman said that while only six teams played in the previous APL seasons, this time, one more team has been given a chance with an intention of providing an opportunity to a few more players.

About 21 league matches and four play-offs and a total of 25 matches will be played as part of the season, Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao added. All matches will be played at the Dr. YSR ACA VDCA International Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, he said.

With an intention of organising APL Season-4 in a professional manner, this time the decision review system (DRS) system is being implemented. To encourage players, the prize money for the winner has been increased to Rs. 35 lakh and the runner-up will be given Rs 20 lakh.

Sujay Krishna Ranga Rao informed that the entry to watch these matches is free for the people of Visakhapatnam. He advised that the spectators coming to watch the matches in the stadium should come from gate no.15.

Vijayawada Sun Shiners, Royal of Rayalaseema, Simhadri Vizag Lions, Tungabhadra Warriors, Amaravati Royals, Kakinada Kings and Bhimavaram Bulls form part of the APL Season-4 teams.

During the meeting, the APL Season-4 anthem song composed by music director Sricharan Pakala was released by Andhra Cricket Association treasurer Dandamudi Srinivasa Rao.

Later, the trophy was unveiled by the guests at the beach road. In the meeting, Andhra Cricket Association COO Girish Dongre, ACA - VDCA Stadium In-charge JKM Raju and ACA game development department general manager MS Kumar were present.