Taking its ambitions to take the game into different parts of the world, the Knight Riders Group which is owned by Sharukh Khan and Juhi Chawla among others have decided to invest in the Major League Cricket (MLC) that is scheduled to take off in 2022. The investment by the group will enable USA Cricket in running a league comprising six teams. The investment in the MLC will be the third strategic investment by the group in the game as it also knows the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in the Indian Premier League along with the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.
The CEO of KKR, Venky Mysore said that the group was keen on the prospect of the development of cricket in the United States and that the latest investment is an extension of its plans for global expansion of the game. He also heaped optimism that the experience of running two franchises in the two different leagues will help the group in playing a ‘broader role’ for the success of the Major Cricket League.
“We feel fortunate to have been consistently recognized as one of the best franchises in T20 cricket and have become one of the fastest-growing sports brands in the world. As T20 cricket expands internationally, we are flattered by the regular inbound requests to play a major role in growing the sport abroad. We have had a keen interest in the developments in the United States and our expansion into the U.S. is consistent with our long-term strategy. We look forward to the new challenge of building cricket in the world’s most sophisticated sports and media market and we believe that we can bring a huge amount of expertise to help make Major League Cricket realize the potential that it undoubtedly has,” Mysore said.
Shahrukh Khan said that the expansion of the Knight Riders brand has always been the agenda paramount for the group and they have been watching the potential of UAS as a market for the development of a T20 league. Sharukh, too, said that the MLC holds great potential for the future of cricket in the US and he also emphasised the role the Knight Riders group will play for its success.
“For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the USA. We are convinced that Major League Cricket has all the pieces in place to execute on its plans and we look forward to making our partnership an enormous success in the coming years,” Sharukh Khan said.
The MLC was scheduled to take off in 2021 but now has been delayed to 2022 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. USA Cricket had made its intentions clear back in 2018 about the league and had asked for the Request of Proposal.
"This is an exciting time for cricket in the United States with the formation of our new Board of Directors, USA Cricket's pending recognition as an ICC approved National Federation and the performance of our athletes on the field of play," This RFP continues on the positive momentum as we seek to build a successful and sustainable league domestically,” USA Cricket chairman Paraag Marathe had said in 2021.
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