KKR and DD are the new stakeholders in South African League
June 20, 2017 | SportsGuff Team 1.2K Reads
The T20 Global League in South Africa which is likely to be played in November-December having eight teams have a strong Indian presence. The owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Daredevils (DD) becomes the direct stakeholders in the South African T20 Global League.
Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan have Cape Town franchise and will be called as Cape Town Knight Riders whereas Delhi Daredevils owner GMR Group have Johannesburg franchise.
The other two franchise are from Pakistan Super League (PSL) owner representatives from Dubai and Hong Kong. And two South African business entities makes the League a truly Global.
Teams: Cape Town Knight Riders, Durban, Johannesburg, Benoni, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Stellenbosch and Bloemfontein.
According to the Cricket South Africa (CSA) press release, close to 400 players from 10 countries could be part of the player draft. “The announcement of the team owners is a key milestone to successfully launch our T20 Global League,” CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said.
CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders said, "We want to grow the Knight Riders brand globally, and acquiring a team in T20 Global league is a step in that direction." Kolkata have already own the Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Premier League.
Hemant Dua the CEO of Delhi Daredevils said, “The IPL is the iconic (T20) league. The biggest difference is that the IPL has all Indian owners. The T20 Global League has owners from different parts of the world. It’s a mix and that’s why it’s called the Global League. Also, there’s a massive difference in the salary cap. Here the salary cap is around $1.5 million, where in the IPL you buy one player for $1.5 million."
When asked if BBCI approval was required?
- Hemant Dua said, "It’s not an Indian franchise going (there) and playing. It’s GMR Sports. One of our franchises is Delhi Daredevils. We want to build our sports business. Where’s the objection from anybody about that! This is not an extension of the Delhi Daredevils. We can invest wherever we want to."
