Major League Cricket: Shah Rukh Khan and Kolkata Knight Riders invest in American dream
As per ESPNcricinfo, the investment in the MLC by the Knight Riders group will be strategic and see them playing the role of “consultant” to help USA Cricket run the six-team T20 league and they will hold a “significant” stake in the tournament. However, it cannot be ruled out that the KKR group might just own a franchise too based in Los Angeles and some reports have revealed the name as LA Knight Riders.
“For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the US. We are convinced that Major League Cricket has all the pieces in place to execute its plans and we look forward to making our partnership an enormous success in the coming years,” Shah Rukh Khan said in a statement.
American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), USA Cricket’s partner in developing a professional T20 league in America, had invited the Knight Riders Group, revealed Venky Mysore, CEO and managing director.
“When they invited us, we said we want to take a deep dive into this, and not just have a short-term outlook,” Mysore told ESPNcricinfo. “So they see us as a consultant in many ways, apart from being a big part of the league. They want us to play a very broad role, to help and assist them with all aspects of cricket in the US.
“USA Cricket are looking at a bigger national cricket set-up, academies, develop talent, and all that is complementary to what the T20 league will do as well. In addition, we will be working hard to build infrastructure there, six world-class stadiums in the next few years,” he added.
