DW BUREAU / CHANDIGARH

Determined to confront Punjab's drug crisis by reclaiming its sporting legacy, the Bhagwant Mann Government on Monday approved the launch of the Punjab Cricket League (PCL), positioning sports as a strategic intervention for youth empowerment rather than a token outreach programme.

Planned on the Indian Premier League (IPL) model with district and regional teams and backed by institutional partnerships with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), the league is intended to systematically identify, groom and channel young talent into professional pathways, while simultaneously building a wider ecosystem of district- and state-level leagues across multiple sports to pull the state's youth decisively away from drugs and towards discipline, opportunity and national representation.

Sharing a few snippets from the following meeting, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann wrote: "Today in Chandigarh, held a meeting with senior officials of the Department of Sports and Youth Services to discuss various issues, with a focused deliberation on promoting sports culture across the state. All officials were directed to make their maximum contribution towards encouraging youth to take up sports, with the objective of building a healthy and fit society. The government is consistently working to restore sports culture in Punjab and to reconnect the youth with playgrounds across the state."

Chairing a review meeting of the Sports Department, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated that the state government would tie up with the Punjab Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India to organise the league with the objective of grooming young talent from across Punjab.

"The state government will collaborate with the Punjab Cricket Association and the Board of Control for Cricket in India to organise the Punjab Cricket League for grooming the youth of the state," Bhagwant Singh Mann said.

Drawing inspiration from global examples, the Chief Minister stated that such initiatives had played a transformative role in world cricket. "Cricketers like Imran Khan and Arjuna Ranatunge gave several renowned players to world cricket through similar initiatives, and this league will go a long way in emerging Punjab as a nursery of cricketing talent," he said.

Explaining the structure of the proposed league, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that it would be organised on the lines of the Indian Premier League, with teams constituted on the basis of districts and geographical regions.

"The Punjab Cricket League will be organised on the lines of the Indian Premier League, and teams will be formed on the basis of districts and geographical regions such as Majha, Doaba and Malwa to compete in the tournament," he said.

The Chief Minister said that the initiative would help create a strong pipeline of talented cricketers for both national and international competitions. "This league will help in producing a talented pool of cricketers for national and international level cricket tournaments," CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said.

At the same time, he underlined the need to promote other sports across the state. "District-level and state-level leagues should also be organised for games like Volleyball, Football, Hockey, Basketball, Kho kho and Kabaddi," the Chief Minister said, adding that the Punjab government was working on an aggressive campaign to produce the maximum number of trained sportspersons. "Our aim is to ensure that more Punjabi players represent India in international sporting events," he said.

Emphasising Punjab's rich sporting legacy, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state has abundant sports talent and the government is fully committed to nurturing it. "Punjab has immense sports talent, and the state government will not leave any stone unturned to enable players to participate and win medals for India at the international level," he said.

He said that sports provide a powerful avenue for the youth to excel and bring laurels to the state. "Games give our youth the opportunity to excel in sports and bring pride to Punjab," Bhagwant Singh Mann said, asserting that the government is determined to restore the state's pristine glory in the field of sports. "The state government is committed to reviving Punjab's glory in sports, and no stone is being left unturned to achieve this goal," he added.

(editor@dailyworld.in)