Reliance Strategic Business Venture, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited has bought the rights to own and manage a cricket team in the UAE T20 League.
It is going to be the first major investment of the Reliance Group in the international franchise cricket tournament. For the group, it will be their second cricket team. Moreover, they have many more cricket-related things like talent management, sponsorship, broadcast, and consultancy.
RIL became the founding members of the IPL when they acquired the Mumbai Indians franchise. Throughout the history of the IPL Mumbai has become the most successful team. RIL’s owning a team in the UAE T20 League will certainly be of great advantage to the league. The team will provide a promising and exciting brand of cricket to Emirates like the Mumbai Indians. They will for certain help in developing the infrastructure and improving the quality of the game.
According to Khalid Al Zarooni, Chairman of UAE T20 league, the investment of RIL in the UAE T20 league shows the vision of the ECB board. The investment is a clear demonstration of the UAE’s ability to provide world-class cricketing events.
What the investment of Reliance mean to UAE cricket board
Zarooni said that with the help of the UAE T20 League they want to transform cricket in the Emirates. They plan to expand the game through different programs which would be under the franchisee of the league. These expansions will include talent hunt, training under world-class coaches, and scouting.
Zarooni also praised RIL for how they have been successful in franchise cricket over the years and have helped in the development of the game as well. He also added that investment from such a big company is a great honor. According to him, it shows that we have the infrastructure to organize major cricket events as well.
Why the owners invested in UAE
Nita Ambani, the co-owner of Mumbai Indians said,
“With great pride and joy, we take our Mumbai Indians brand of fearless cricket to new geography. We are thankful to our fans, both in India and overseas, for supporting MI wholeheartedly. I look forward to strengthening and further expanding our global fanbase, and having a longer engagement with them through this new League. While Mumbai Indians will continue to remain at the heart of our cricket operations the popularity of global T20 leagues and the attractiveness of the UAE market offer a unique opportunity for us to further unlock the value of our sports management expertise. It also allows us a platform to develop young international talent and share best practices both on and off the field.”
The owner of Mumbai Indians Akash Ambani thinks about the UAE T20 highly. He believes that the league will help build international partnerships. Moreover, it will be of great help for the growth of cricket in the UAE.
According to Mubashshir Usmani, the general secretary of the ECB, the investment made by such a big company in the T20 league is encouraging. He thinks that the RIL owning a franchise will be immense for the cricket of the county. The passion of the company is in itself great as well.
The T20 league of UAE was given a green light by the Emirates Cricket Board. The league will take place every year with six teams at present in the league. The league will work as a platform for the young players as it will get the team the exposure they want.
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