D. Kupendra Reddy is a successful Bangalore - based entrepreneur businessman.

He is the Director of Sireesh Auto (Mahindra dealership), RGA Software Systems Pvt. Ltd. and Primal Projects Pvt. Ltd. Sireesh Auto has got the “Mysore Maharaajas” team in a successful bid.

Mr. Kuppendra Reddy, why did you choose to buy the Mysore team, or was it your second choice?
The Mysore team was my first choice.

I wanted to give something back to the rural people and find some rural talent and bring them into the State or Indian team.

Instead of “Mysore Maharaajas”, did you have any other names or was this the obvious choice?
To maintain the tradition of the region, we stuck with “Maharaaja” and even the launch had been done in a durbar style. The entire thing has a royal theme. Even Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar was there.

So was Wadiyar comfortable with the name, “Mysore Maharaajas”?
I think he was very happy about it that the old traditions were upheld in the inauguration.

If Wadiyar was not the President of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), would you have made him the ambassador for your team?
Definitely.

So now, who is the ambassador for your team?
Mr. Sudeep, the film actor.

And I think you have a senior player as a mentor for the team?
Correct, Mr. Vishwanath.

Among players, how many are from Mysore?
We have six from Mysore, one from Mandya and three from Kodagu. This is because I wanted to give prominence to areas in and around Mysore district.

Are the matches in Mysore going to be played only at Manasa Gangothri or at the Infosys ground also?
They have decided to conduct matches only at Manasa Gangothri.

Do you hope to pull in a large crowd at Mysore? Do you have any expectations?
Already our teams are going to every taluk and creating awareness among schools, colleges and even in residential areas. Our TV actors and actresses are promoting the game. Today there is a programme in Mysore and tomorrow it will be in Kodagu. With this we hope to bring up rural talent at least for next year.

I read somewhere that senior State players were not in any way involved in Karnataka Premier League (KPL). The other day one of them was heard saying that KSCA should not have started KPL and instead they should have concentrated on developing the junior level cricket. What do you have to say?
I won't make any comments about this because it is something that the KSCA should answer. I don't know about these things. We have taken this franchise to develop talent.

So it is not just a business venture for you?
Actually, even if I break even or make a profit, I have a vision to create something; like if I can get land in Mysore, I would like to create an academy. We can recruit for all sporting events because you know, in our State there is no one to promote hockey, kabbadi…

Will the “Mysore Maharaajas” team be trained in Bangalore?
Bangalore, Mandya, Mysore… everywhere. We'll go taluk by taluk, even to Kodagu because everyone will go to Bangalore. At least to involve other people and give basic training to youngsters we have to go to about 21 or 22 taluks in the region. We'll go to every rural place possible wherever a pitch is available. We are placing nets in corporate grounds, college grounds and so on. We still have a lot of time and we are planning it out stage by stage.

Is the KSCA guiding you in setting up the team?
In IPL, there are certain modules which we are strictly following and this is guide enough for us to set up a team. Senior players also have been of assistance. .

How helpful has Vishwanath been so far?
He's our mentor. As you know, he is one of the greats. I think with his help, we may be able to come up with the same talents.

Who do you think has the best team?
Our team is the best because from every angle, from first to last, bowling to left and right-handed batsmen, we've balanced everything. Let us see how they do on the ground. But our team is well balanced.

Since it's a Mysore team, should the team be ion Mysore? Wouldn’t it make Mysoreans more interested?
What happens is, Mysore region has had a tradition from the beginning. By following that tradition, everyone knows that this is our team. Now we have a troupe that goes from taluk to taluk chanting “Mysore Maharaajas ki jai! Adu namma teamu”. They come saying that they are our team. I am putting up hoardings everywhere — 32 hoardings, each representing a player. I'm putting up hoardings in Mandya, Mysore, Bangalore, Madikeri at taluk headquarters. So people will show interest and come. It will also encourage their family and friends to participate.

Second tier cities are very price sensitive. Have you agreed upon a ticket price? Is there a different price to watch the match in Bangalore?
I don't know anything about it. I can't talk about it because it is for the KSCA to decide, it is not KPL’s business. The stadiums belong to the KSCA. But they will be pricing it at very nominal rates to get the crowds interested.

Do you have any sponsors yet?
As of now our group of companies will be the sponsors.

What about the TV rights?
I think Udaya TV has bagged the rights to telecast the matches.

Courtesy: Star of Mysore

Click here to go to the main page of Star Of Mysore.
Click here to go to the main page of Sports.
Click here to go to the main page of Sri. K.B.Ganapathy.
Please send your opinions, feedbacks, articles to shshenoy at yahoo.com