By Aijaz Ahmed Khan
JEDDAH — The JCA-Saudi Premier League launched the second edition of its T20 tournament for CIT Cup at a gala function here recently.
The launching ceremony, held at a local hotel here, was graced by chief guest Nasser Gulaid, president and CEO of CIT (Canadian International Trading) Group, the main sponsor of the championship.
JCA Chief Coordinator A. A. Merchant welcomed Gulaid, JCA Chairman Dr. Faiz Al-Abideen, other guests and JCA officials. Representatives from SPL co-sponsors Mohammed Afzal, general manager of Initial Services Group and Shamshad Ahmed Khan, director of finance, Ace Travel & Tours; Syed Zahid Ali, president MCA, media personnel, captains of 13 participating clubs, umpires, scorers and elite members of Indian and Pakistani Community also attended the function.
Merchant briefly outlined JCA’s history and the success of first SPL event, which was jointly sponsored by Ace Travel and Tours and Initial Services with co-sponsors ALS Logistics, Khind Electronics, Pepsi (SIPCO), Mizo Juices (Arrow Food Distribution), Jotun Paints and UT Lines.
Deepak Kalia of CIT thanked the JCA for giving their group an opportunity to be the main sponsor and joining the activities of JCA. He also assured the group’s continuous support to JCA’s future ventures. JCA Chairman Faiz Al-Abideen thanked the sponsors for their support, lauded the commendable activities of JCA officials, led by CEO Mohammed Iqbal and his team, and wished the second tournament great success as it has doubled the amount for prizes.
JCA President Aijaz Ahmed Khan also thanked the sponsors and appreciated the efforts of the committee in providing the right platform and infrastructure at Usfan Complex for the cricketers. He thanked the media for their support and honored them awarding mementos, which were presented by JCA chairman.
JCA Vice President Hamid Rana underlined the importance of taking the game to the grass-root level to improve the game. He also said that the JCA has the moral responsibility to ensure continuous training for under 12, under 15 and under 19.
All grounds are ready for the opening ceremony. Thirteen teams will play each other in a round robin league and the top 4 will be eligible for next rounds — qualifier, eliminator and final —to decide the winner and the runner-up. The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks.
