Mysuru: The Karbonn Smartphones Karnataka Premier League (KPL) 2017 has seen some thrilling cricket on the field with some top notch performances by the players. The good news for KPL does not stop there with the television viewership figures for the first match of the season being released by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India.

This year the tournament is being telecast for the first time ever by Star Sports with a star-studded commentary panel which also includes former Australian players Dean Jones, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey, ex-New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, former India cricketers Laxman Sivaramakrishnan and Deep Dasgupta, former Karnataka Ranji Trophy player Fazal Khaleel and Charu Sharma. Also presenting the telecast are anchors Mayanti Langer and Sanjana Ganesan.

The first match was watched by 6.5 million viewers nation-wide. In Karnataka alone, the reach has grown by almost 4.5 times to 0.9 in 2017.

Vinay Mruthyunjaya, KPL Governing Council Member said “KPL is a platform for players of Karnataka to showcase their talent to a wide audience. They gain a lot by being part of the tournament.

The latest viewership figures are a testimony to the impact the players have had with their performances.”

The tournament moves to Hubbali from Sept. 13 for the final-leg at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium.