Staff Writer – Archi
West Indies Cricket. The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCL) in India might have prevented its players from playing in overseas domestic Twenty20 cricket tournaments, but there is likely to be a huge Indian presence in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) that runs from June 20 to July 26 this year.
First of all Hero MotoCorp Ltd, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, will be the new title sponsor of the CPL for a period of one-year. This Indian company was earlier one of the global partners of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and team sponsors of Delhi Daredevils and later of Mumbai Indians teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
And Bollywood royalty is now set to rub shoulders with Hollywood glamour, following the purchase of the Trinidad and Tobago franchise in the CPL by star Indian actor and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan. Hollywood stars Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler already own CPL franchises. Wahlberg owns reigning champions Barbados Tridents, led by Kieron Pollard, while Butler owns Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle.
Damien Odonohoe. Photo courtesy www.inewsguyana.com
Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd -along with KKR co-owners Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta -has invested in the T&T franchise.
Khan thus becomes the first owner of an IPL team to own an overseas cricket franchise. He told Indian media: “This is in line with our vision to expand globally . We are thrilled to become part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad and Tobago. The passion for franchise cricket in the Caribbean is evident with the success of CPL and we hope to bring all the best practices of KKR to the T&T franchise.”
KKR’s chief executive Venky Mysore, who runs Khan’s sports business, added, “KKR has been fortunate to be recognized as one of the most professionally managed franchises in IPL. That experience has encouraged us to expand globally .The idea is to replicate our success in the CPL, keeping the growing interest in this (T20) format in mind.”
Trinidad and Tobago has a population of about 1.3 million, with people of Indian origin comprising almost 38%, making them the single largest ethnic group. KKR’s investment strategists are hoping that their star owner will draw in the crowds when the team plays its home matches at the historic Queen’s Park Oval between July 14 and 19.
The islands are also an hour’s light away from Miami, which could help T&T draw members of the Indian diaspora for their matches.
Damien O’Donohoe, Chief Executive Officer, CPL, said: “This deal represents yet another great step forward in the story of the CPL as it grows in status and popularity around the world. KKR are a huge franchise in the world of cricket, so for a brand like theirs to choose to invest in the CPL proves that we are doing all the right things and heading in the right direction.”
