Mumbai Indians, Manchester United owners, Shahrukh Khan part of six-team Emirates T20 league | Cricket News – Times of India
MUMBAI: The Glazer family that owns and runs the Manchester United football club may have fallen short of a few thousand crores in their attempt to buy an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise last month but that isn’t stopping them from making a foray into the cricketing world.
The Glazers, along with five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, Shahrukh Khan’s Knight Riders franchise, financial services company Capri Global, Kiran Kumar Grandhi of Delhi Capitals and Big Bash League (BBL) club Sydney Sixers are now part of the band new Emirates T20 League that’s all set to get underway early 2022.
The six-franchise league – a brainchild of former IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman, and now being run by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) with the blessings of Sheikh Al Nahyan, who heads the UAE Ministry of Culture, Youth & Social Development – had been in the making for a couple of years now and will finally see the light of the day tentatively in January next year.
TOI understands that the ECB is all set to lock in a broadcaster soon and despite the IPL’s media rights tender waiting to come out soon, there has been relative interest. “January’s a great time to play cricket in the UAE. The destination caters to multiple time zones, especially in the west. It suits prime-time in the Indian sub-continent very well, as we’ve seen during the last two IPLs and the recent T20 World Cup that were played there,” say industry executives tracking developments.
Raman first began working on the league two years ago and the business model backing it and multiple IPL owners – including the proverbial ‘Big Three’ MI, CSK and KKR – initially took interest. “However, as things changed and the ECB took charge, CSK opted out. But Mumbai Indians giving their consent was a huge shot in the arm for the organisers of the league,” sources add.
The Glazer family showing interest in the league, after their recent bid attempt at owning an IPL franchise, shows their growing interest in cricket and how the sport – that India dominates in terms of finances and eyeballs – is waiting to hit the American markets in the near future.
Meanwhile, financial services company Capri Global too had submitted bids for an IPL franchise in the recent auction and are learnt to be taking active interest in the sport’s T20 landscape.
Delhi Capitals co-owner Grandhi, however, is learnt to be investing in the league from an individual perspective. The IPL’s franchise other 50% co-owner Parth Jindal will not be a part of this league.
Sydney Sixers, first part of the T20 Champions League – one that was conceived by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi back in 2008-09 – have always looked beyond Australia.
“And for Shahrukh, Dubai has always been a second home to him. Brand SRK has been synonymous with this part of the world and it naturally augurs well to have him and his franchise participating in our league,” say those working on the property.
This ‘desert league’ will work on a unique business model where the franchises will invest on an annual basis and work on substantial returns through broadcast and sponsorships. While there’s no word on whether the BCCI – that now shares a good working relationship with the ECB – will allow any Indian players to participate, the league’s organisers expect cricketers from across the globe to show huge interest.
The Glazers, along with five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, Shahrukh Khan’s Knight Riders franchise, financial services company Capri Global, Kiran Kumar Grandhi of Delhi Capitals and Big Bash League (BBL) club Sydney Sixers are now part of the band new Emirates T20 League that’s all set to get underway early 2022.
The six-franchise league – a brainchild of former IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman, and now being run by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) with the blessings of Sheikh Al Nahyan, who heads the UAE Ministry of Culture, Youth & Social Development – had been in the making for a couple of years now and will finally see the light of the day tentatively in January next year.
TOI understands that the ECB is all set to lock in a broadcaster soon and despite the IPL’s media rights tender waiting to come out soon, there has been relative interest. “January’s a great time to play cricket in the UAE. The destination caters to multiple time zones, especially in the west. It suits prime-time in the Indian sub-continent very well, as we’ve seen during the last two IPLs and the recent T20 World Cup that were played there,” say industry executives tracking developments.
Raman first began working on the league two years ago and the business model backing it and multiple IPL owners – including the proverbial ‘Big Three’ MI, CSK and KKR – initially took interest. “However, as things changed and the ECB took charge, CSK opted out. But Mumbai Indians giving their consent was a huge shot in the arm for the organisers of the league,” sources add.
The Glazer family showing interest in the league, after their recent bid attempt at owning an IPL franchise, shows their growing interest in cricket and how the sport – that India dominates in terms of finances and eyeballs – is waiting to hit the American markets in the near future.
Meanwhile, financial services company Capri Global too had submitted bids for an IPL franchise in the recent auction and are learnt to be taking active interest in the sport’s T20 landscape.
Delhi Capitals co-owner Grandhi, however, is learnt to be investing in the league from an individual perspective. The IPL’s franchise other 50% co-owner Parth Jindal will not be a part of this league.
Sydney Sixers, first part of the T20 Champions League – one that was conceived by former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi back in 2008-09 – have always looked beyond Australia.
“And for Shahrukh, Dubai has always been a second home to him. Brand SRK has been synonymous with this part of the world and it naturally augurs well to have him and his franchise participating in our league,” say those working on the property.
This ‘desert league’ will work on a unique business model where the franchises will invest on an annual basis and work on substantial returns through broadcast and sponsorships. While there’s no word on whether the BCCI – that now shares a good working relationship with the ECB – will allow any Indian players to participate, the league’s organisers expect cricketers from across the globe to show huge interest.
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