Kolkata Knight Riders to invest in USA-based Major League Cricket
American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) on Tuesday announced the onboarding of Kolkata Knight Riders as one of their biggest investors in USA-based work-in-progress T20 tournament, Major League Cricket (MLC). KKR CEO Venky Mysore confirmed the development on his official Twitter account.
Delighted to announce the new partnership between Knight Riders’ & American Cricket Enterprises in Major League Cricket in the US! Looking forward to showcasing T20 cricket in America! @USACricket @KKRiders @TKRiders pic.twitter.com/6vsGp8yWWq
— Venky Mysore (@VenkyMysore) December 1, 2020
Two-time IPL champions, the Knight Riders are one of the most popular T20 franchises not in India but across the world. After their title-winning stint in 2014, the KKR management expanded to the Caribbean shores, becoming owners of the Trinbago Knight Riders. TKR have been largely successful in the CPL over the years, winning four trophies in the last six years.
Strategic investment
Led by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, this investment is part of a strategic long-term investment in the sport’s future in the US. Another notable aspect is that the investment comes at the league level – meaning they’ll have a stake in the league itself and not the franchise.
“We are hugely excited by the Knight Riders buying into the vision of Major League Cricket and look forward to working with them to bring the potential of American cricket to fruition.
“It is great to have them in early in the process and have their expertise involved all the way through the league’s launch. Moreover, their investment is a statement of validation of our plans. This is a strategic long-term investment into the future of cricket in the United States,” said Vijay Srinivasan, one of the co-founders at ACE.
It is understood that KKR are reportedly set to acquire the Los Angeles franchise of the MLC. Rumours suggest the team could be named the ‘LA Knight Riders’.
