Mangaluru: After the international success of Kudlothsava 2025 in Bahrain, the festival is set to create waves back home with a first-of-its-kind Auto-Drivers’ Cricket Tournament in Mangaluru on May 18. This landmark event, spearheaded by Anand Lobo from Bahrain, is being hailed as a humanitarian celebration of the city’s dedicated autorickshaw drivers.

🏏 A Mega Celebration of Sport and Solidarity

For the first time ever, 720 autorickshaw drivers will participate in a single-day cricket extravaganza across six major grounds in Mangaluru:

  • Nehru Maidan

  • Kadri Ground

  • Yemmekere Maidan

  • Kavoor Shantinagar

  • Bondel Ground

  • Padua Ground

    • With 48 teams grouped under 8 dynamic franchises, the tournament promises high energy and thrilling cricket action:

    • Kudla Tigers

  • Kudla Lions

  • Kudla Cheetahs

  • Kudla Falcons

  • Kudla Dragons

  • Kudla Panthers

  • Kudla Bulls

  • Kudla Phoenix

    • Only registered auto drivers with valid IDs are eligible, ensuring genuine participation from Mangaluru’s rickshaw community.

    🎉 Event Highlights:

    • Match timings: 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM

  • Grand Finale & Prize Distribution: Evening at Nehru Maidan
    (Expected attendance: Ministers, MPs, MLAs, and other dignitaries)

    • 🏆 Prize Structure:

    • Winners (each ground): ₹15,000 + Trophy

  • Runners-up (each ground): ₹10,000 + Trophy

  • Man of the Final (each ground): ₹2,500 + Trophy

  • Total prize money: ₹1.5 lakh

    • 💃 Cultural Extravaganza:

    To add rhythm and colour to the celebration, a dance competition featuring Mangaluru’s top dance troupes will light up the grand finale.

    • Winner: ₹20,000

  • Runner-up: ₹10,000

    • Anand Lobo, the visionary behind Kudlothsava, emphasized that this is not just about cricket—it’s about recognizing the relentless service of auto drivers and offering them a well-deserved moment of joy, dignity, and unity.

    As Kudlothsava continues to champion Mangaluru’s cultural pride globally, this local initiative blends sport, celebration, and community spirit, making May 18 a date to remember for the city.

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