Kolkata Knight Riders Go West: Shah Rukh Khan Buys Cpl Team

[manjunath455]

MUMBAI: Bollywood royalty is now set to rub shoulders with Hollywood glamour, following the purchase of the Trinidad & Tobago franchise in the Caribbean Premier League by star 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.

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. The next edition of the tournament is scheduled to run from June 20 to July 26.

Khan is the first owner of an Indian Premier League team to own an overseas cricket franchise. He told TOI: "This is in line with our vision to expand globally . We are thrilled to become part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad & 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," Khan told TOI on Tuesday .

KKR, IPL champions in 2012 and 2014, have been ranked the most valuable IPL team with a brand value of $86 million (over Rs 500 crore).

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 & 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 Indi an diaspora for their matches. If Khan's attempt to tap the Indian expat audience turns out to be success ul, "the game will move entirely to a new level," said Mysore.

T&T's stars include Dwayne Bravo (who was the highest wicket-taker in this year's IPL, playing for Chennai Super Kings), Darren Bravo, Samuel Badree and Kevon Cooper. Overseas signings include Kamran Akmal and Johan Botha. Former South Africa and KKR allrounder Jacques Kallis, who is now the IPL team's mentor, will also be a part of the T&T franchise this year.

Following Khan's investment, the CPL may seek ways to connect with India. The Indian diaspora in the west is a huge fan-base which Indian cricket is yet to explore as far as in-stadia action is concerned.

A brief look at the new owners and the Caribbean Premier League...

Owners of new T&T team: Shahrukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, actor Juhi Chawla and husband Jay Mehta Other celebrity owners in CPL: Hollywood actors Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler.

Star players in the T&T franchise: Dwayne Bravo, Jacques Kallis, Darren Bravo, Johan Botha, Kamran Akmal and Kevon Cooper among others.

Other franchises in CPL: Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, St Lucia Zouks, T&T (to be now owned by Khan).

No. of CPL editions so far: 2013 & 2014. 2015 begins later this month.

Top cricketers from T&T: Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Learie Constantine, Gus Logie, Ravi Rampaul, Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard