Mangaluru, June 14 (IANS) Coastal Kings Mangaluru announced Karun Nair as captain ahead of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 Season 5 during a press conference held in Mangaluru on Sunday.

The franchise also unveiled its inaugural squad, announced its leadership group, launched the Coastal Kings Mangaluru anthem and unveiled the team’s official jersey as it gears up for its maiden campaign in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.

The event was attended by Dr. Srikanth Rai, Chairman, KSCA Mangalore Zone, B.N. Madhukar, Hon. Treasurer, KSCA, Avinash Vaidya, Managing Committee Member, KSCA, Vinod Naidu, Director, Manyata Developers and Owner, Coastal Kings Mangaluru, Indian cricketers Karun Nair and Shreyas Gopal, Kannada and Tulu film actor Roopesh Shetty, KSCA office bearers, Coastal Kings Mangaluru players, and management

The Coastal Kings Mangaluru Team jersey was unveiled by B.N. Madhukar, Hon. Treasurer, KSCA, while Avinash Vaidya, Managing Committee Member, KSCA, launched the official Coastal Kings Mangaluru Team Anthem.

Karun Nair expressed his delight at leading the franchise in its maiden season.

“The Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 is a great platform for players across Karnataka to showcase their talent. I’m really privileged to be named captain of Coastal Kings Mangaluru and would like to thank Vinod sir and everyone involved with the franchise for their faith in me. Our focus will be on playing good cricket, giving our best in every game and trying to bring the trophy home to Mangaluru,” he said.

Lauding Maharaja Trophy as a vehicle to inspire players, Shreyas Gopal also spoke about the players who inspired him during his journey in the game.

“Like most players of my generation, I grew up watching Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble. They were the people who really inspired me to pursue cricket in a much more serious way,” he said.

Gopal called on cricket fans in the region to back the team throughout the season.

“To all the Coastal Kings Mangaluru fans, I want you to come out in large numbers, support us and cheer for us. We promise to put our best efforts forward, play good cricket and put on a great show for you,” he added.

Speaking about the franchise’s vision, Coastal Kings Mangaluru owner Vinod Naidu said the team aims to represent the entire coastal region while also contributing to the growth of cricket at the grassroots level.

“We are proud to become the new franchise of this beautiful city, Mangaluru. We are not only representing Mangaluru, but the entire coastal region of Karnataka, and that’s why we call it Coastal Kings Mangaluru. Our vision is pretty clear , under the direction of KSCA, we want to promote grassroots cricket in this region. We will make sure that Coastal Kings Mangaluru is not just about the Maharaja Trophy, but also about staying connected with grassroots cricketers across Mangaluru and coastal Karnataka,” he said.

The fifth edition of the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 will be played from June 20 to July 12 across Mysuru, Hubballi and Bengaluru.

Coastal Kings Mangaluru Squad: Karun Nair, Shreyas Gopal, Koushik V, Suraj Ahuja, Venkatesh M, Nikin Jose SJ, Dheeraj Gowda, Santokh Singh, Kushaal M Wadhwani, Aadharsh SJ, Anvay Dravid, Karthik CA, Rajvir Wadhwa, Sidharth Akhil, Rathan BR, Prithviraj Shekhawat, Arya J Gowda and Aaron Cyril Christie.

Coach: Ganesh Satish

–IANS

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