A national-level doctors’ T20 cricket tournament called Indian Doctors’ Premier League (IDPL) will be held in Pune from April 5 to 9. The Young Doctors League (YDL) organises the tournament modelled on Indian Premier League (IPL).
The YDL is an NGO formed by young doctors Dr Sandeep Patil, Dr Rahul Patil, Dr Deepak Mankari and Dr Sumit Agrawal, among others, in 2022, aiming to encourage sports and fitness amongst doctors and help these stressed-out professionals achieve a healthy work-life balance.
Sixteen teams from all over India, including four each from Pune and Mumbai, and one each from Kolhapur, Nasik, Mumbai, Vita, Thane, and Aurangabad, are participating in this event. Teams from Udaipur, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Thiruvananthapuram have also confirmed their participation.
Doctors across all streams of medicine, like modern medicine, dentistry, homoeopathy, Unani, and Ayurveda, will participate in the games held at PYC Gymkhana, Poona Club, Deccan Gymkhana, and the Nehru stadium.
This is the first time a national-level cricket tournament for doctors is being held in Pune.
“We have involved doctors across all streams of medicine for the tournament and wish to encourage physical fitness amongst doctors and help them achieve a healthy work-life balance,” Dr Ameet Dravid, infectious diseases expert, told The Indian Express.
Nehru Stadium will be the venue of the final and closing ceremony. This four-day tournament is being sponsored by D Y Patil Medical College and Hospital, Pimpri; Healing Hands Clinic; VEFA; Emcure Pharmaceuticals; Jehangir Hospital; and Sahyadri hospital, Pune. The matches will be live-streamed on YouTube.