Shah Rukh Khan follows Ambani, Adani to buy team in UAE T20 League
The UAE T20 League on Thursday (May 12) announced that the Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan-owned Knight Riders Group has acquired the rights to own and operate a franchise.
The Knight Riders Group is the owner of the Abu Dhabi franchise and will set up Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) as an integral part of the UAE’s flagship T20 league, the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) said.
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Licensed by the ECB, the UAE T20 League is an annual event that will feature six franchise teams competing in a 34-match event. It is likely to be launched early next year.
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited, the owners of IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), Lancer Capital, the GMR Group, Capri Global, and Adani Sportsline, a part of the diversified Adani Group owned by India’s richest person Gautam Adani, have already acquired a team each in the UAE’s T20 League, according to ECB.
After establishing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008 in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Knight Riders Group became the owner of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2015.
Recently, the group made a significant investment in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US and intends to set up a franchise in the greater Los Angeles area.
This investment by the Knight Riders Group, which is led by Shah Rukh, along with Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, will establish its fourth T20 franchise around the world in IPL, CPL, MLC and now in UAE’s T20 league.
Shah Rukh, commenting on the long-term agreement, said; “For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the UAE. We are excited about becoming part of UAE’s T20 League, which no doubt will become hugely successful.”
Khalid Al Zarooni, UAE’s T20 League Chairman, said, “The commitment to grow the T20 format and the expertise gathered by the Knight Riders Group, through their involvement in franchise cricket across the world, is undisputed. We are exceptionally pleased with their foresight to join forces with the UAE’s T20 League and firmly believe it will elevate the reputation, and professionalism of the League throughout the cricket community.”
Mubashshir Usmani, General Secretary, ECB, said, “We are pleased with the association of the Knight Riders Group with the League as a franchise team owner, we are very confident that this association will be mutually beneficial for both Knight Riders brand and the League. UAE’s T20 League will attract some of the biggest names in world cricket while also giving a platform and international exposure to local and upcoming players”.
“We feel fortunate to have been consistently recognised as a global brand in T20 cricket. As T20 cricket expands around the world, we are flattered by the regular invitations to play a major role in growing the sport across the world. We have had a keen interest in the developments in the UAE and our expansion is consistent with our long-term strategy,” said Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR and Red Chillies Entertainment.
