New Delhi Knight Rider Sports owned by Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta is all set to expand its presence in the world of sports, especially cricket. In May, it acquired the Abu Dhabi franchise in the United Arab Emirates’ T20 cricket league. This was the company’s fourth acquisition after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise of the Indian Premier League, Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and a team in the US Major League Cricket (MLC). In an interview, KKR and Red Chillies Entertainment CEO Venky Mysore talked about the popularity of cricket in the US and his plans to buy another cricket team or a franchise in any other sport. Edited excerpt:
What is the idea behind securing teams in so many sports leagues?
Our vision was always to acquire KKR-like assets across the globe that we could own and operate. The properties should be timed in such a way where we can model a caravan so that we start from one place and move to another.
Is it well played?
Yes, about eight seasons ago, we went to the Caribbean for the CPL and acquired the Trinidad franchise TKR. This happened during August-September. We took this step before anyone else thought. IPL was a product of two months and we had to figure out how to take on the high-decibel event and keep our brand alive throughout the year. Now with the UAE T20 League, we have acquired Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. We also made a major investment in US MCL where we were involved from the inception of the idea. We will be setting up LA Knight Riders and we are also building a stadium.
How much have you invested in US MCL?
Specifications and investments are still being finalized, but the way it works there is that the model differs from other leagues because in American sports, particularly the National Football League, franchises are collectively leagues. are the owners of. It’s interesting to be a part owner of a league. The launch of the league is slated for June–July of 2023 and may not be a full-fledged tournament depending on the infrastructure and, as it happens, new venues are added.
How will the team be selected for the US team?
The US and UAE leagues are similar in many ways. We usually don’t have the kind of local players we have in IPL or CPL. So, to start with it will be mainly international players but a certain number of local players will be needed so that you invest in their development. We will also work on other aspects of player development such as academia, scouting and grassroots programmes, both in the US and UAE.
Does America have enough cricket spectators?
Interestingly, the US ranks second in digital consumption of cricket content after India. There is a huge market… in the beginning may be mainly made up of diaspora. The best way to describe the US market is that we associate the world’s number one media market with the second most-watched sports. For us, for the LA Knight Riders to scale in the medium to long term, we must get the average American sports fan interested in T20 cricket or cricket in general.
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