Every year, one event brings out the true sporting spirit of Kovai.co. It is our very own KPL cricket tournament. This year’s edition, KPL 2026, was more exciting with 14 teams, 21 matches, and thousands of runs scored. It turned into a month-long celebration of cricket, teamwork, and fun.
It All Started With an Auction
The excitement began a month before the actual match, with a grand player auction. This time, Guruprasath Deivasigamani, Director of Customer Revenue, took charge as the auctioneer, keeping everyone engaged throughout. He says,
Standing as the auctioneer, I could feel the excitement in the room. Every bid, every strategy, and every reaction showed how seriously everyone took the tournament, even before the first ball was bowled.
Twelve teams’ captains took part in the auction. Interestingly, every team name was inspired by AI, giving this year’s tournament a fun, tech-driven twist. True to Kovai.co’s spirit, the entire auction ran on an app built in-house by our own team.
Players were grouped as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. We had the organizing committee lay out clear rules to keep the bidding and the entire tournament running fairly and smoothly. Every team also had to pick a woman player through the auction, making sure the matches stayed balanced and inclusive.
By the end, 99 players were sold across the 12 teams. Ranjith Sampath, Customer Accounts Executive, walked away as the highest bid in the men’s category at 8,500 points. In the women’s category, Charulatha Ravichandran, Customer Success Specialist, took the top spot with a bid of 5,000 points.
Weeks of Practice Before the Big Day
Once the teams were set, practice sessions took over the evenings. The turfs around our office were fully booked, with teams turning up every day to fine-tune their game and build their strategy. The days leading up to the tournament were packed with drills, team talks, and a lot of team bonding on the field.
Match Day at Herkley
The big day arrived on 4th July, with matches held at Herkley, right next to our office in Coimbatore.
The ground was full of colour, with every team dressed in its own bright jerseys. This time we also had a Doppler radar system to measure bowling speeds, adding a professional touch to the friendly matches.
This year also marked a special first. Two independent women’s teams took part in the tournament for the very first time.
The Loudest Cheers of the Day
While every match had its own charm, one innings stood out and became the talk of the tournament. It was the women’s innings, and for the first time, everyone stayed glued to watch every single ball throughout the innings.
The crowd cheered nonstop, motivating every player who walked out to bat or bowl. It was a proud moment for Kovai.co, showing just how far women’s participation in the tournament has grown.
The women’s match featured Velocity Vixens, led by Sanchana Maheshkumar, Growth Marketer, against Fierce Falcons, captained by Sai Dheepika, Senior Growth Marketer. Velocity Vixens batted first and put up 46/0 in 6 overs, led by Pavithra Rajen’s steady 35 runs off 30 balls.
Fierce Falcons chased the target down in just 5 overs, finishing at 48/1 and winning by 5 wickets. Shree Gayathri Govindarajan, Senior SDET, was named Player of the Match, scoring 24 runs and holding her side together with the ball too. She says,
We knew we had a mountain to climb after the first innings. Chasing down 48 wasn’t going to be easy, but we refused to give up. Every run mattered, every teammate backed each other, and that’s what made the comeback so special. Both teams gave it their best, and we cherished every second of the Women’s Match. Comebacks like this are why KPL was so special this season. Fierce Falcons, forever!
The Road to the Final
The knockouts set the tone early with a quarter-final clash between Sora Strikers, led by Rajagurunathan Manikandan, Lead Software Engineer, and Claude Commandos, captained by Jairam Nagaraj, Senior Account Executive. Sora Strikers secured an 82-run victory after posting 175/1, with Anand Murali, Senior Technical Architect, starring with 79 runs off just 18 balls, including 13 sixes.
The semi-finals were just as gripping as Jeevanantham Sivakumar, Senior Migration Specialist, led Prompt Rangers against Arulkumar Pavadai, Manager – Customer Success, and his Grok Gladiators. Prompt Rangers chased down 122 with just two balls to spare, securing a four-wicket victory. Jeeva starred with an explosive 98 off 26 balls, including 14 sixes.
In the other semi-final, Ajayganesh Gnanalingam, SDET, led Midjourney Mavericks against Rajagurunathan’s Sora Strikers. Midjourney Mavericks secured a three-wicket win, with Mithun Kandasamy smashing 30 runs off just 5 balls.
The Men’s Final
The big final saw Jeevanantham’s The Prompt Rangers take on Ajayganesh’s Midjourney Mavericks. Midjourney Mavericks batted first and scored 106/1 in their 6 overs.
The Prompt Rangers chased the total down in just 5.2 overs, finishing at 109/1 and winning by 5 wickets. Jeeva was once again unstoppable, smashing 63 runs off only 17 balls with 10 sixes, earning him Player of the Match. Ajay Ganesh fought hard for Midjourney Mavericks with 56 runs off 17 balls, but it wasn’t enough on the day.
Jeevanantham Sivakumar, Senior Migration Specialist, Says
KPL was a memorable journey for all of us. When we formed the team, 7 of our 9 players were complete beginners, so our focus during practice was simply to build confidence and help everyone understand their role. As the tournament went on, every player stepped up when it mattered, and that’s what helped us stay unbeaten. Winning the trophy was special, but seeing a team of mostly beginners grow into undefeated champions is something we’ll always remember.
Every team came with one goal – to win. But along the way, they also built stronger connections, shared plenty of laughs, and created memories that will stay long after the final score.
Watch the highlights from our KPL 2026 cricket tournament.
#TogetherWeGrow
