The Emirates Cricket Board’s newly launched T20 League got the backing of some of the big names from the sporting world. In August, ECB announced their T20 franchise league and named it Premier League T20 (PL T20) and which will be played between six teams in January-February next year.
According to a report in Times of India, English Premier League giants Manchester United owners - The Glazer family have bought a team in the Emirates T20 league. The Manchester United owners earlier bid for the team in the Indian Premier League but failed to buy a team as RPSG Ventures Ltd. – Lucknow (for INR 7090 crores) and Irelia Company Pte Ltd. (CVC Capital Partners) – Ahmedabad (for INR 5625 crores) outbid them.
Apart from the Glazer family, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who co-owned IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, also bought a team in the Emirates T20 league. Shah Rukh enjoyed a massive fan-following in the UAE and his involvement in the league is going to boost the exposure.
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“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 as quoted by Times of India.
Five Time IPL champions Mumbai Indians owners also bought a team in the franchise league. Financial services company Capri Global, Kiran Kumar Grandhi of Delhi Capitals and Big Bash League (BBL) club Sydney Sixers also became part of the tournament.
“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 as quoted by Times of India.
According to reports, the defending IPL champions Chennai Super Kings were also in the fray to buy a team but they backed down at the last minute.
The league is duly approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
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