The UAE share a long-standing bond with cricket. The Gulf nation has been hosting international cricket since the 1980s.
But it’s the International League T20 (ILT20) that’s fuelling the rise of cricket in the country. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) operates the six-team tournament. And who powers these six teams?
Here are the owners of the six ILT20 franchises.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Team Owner: Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd
Umm, the Knight Riders. Sounds like a familiar name, doesn’t it?
Well, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) is the sister franchise of the Kolkata Knight Riders, who play in the IPL. And who owns both franchises? The Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd.
The company shares a connection with India’s Bollywood, as actor Shah Rukh Khan is a major stakeholder. He runs the company along with Mehta Group, owned by Jay Mehta, who is the husband of Indian actress Juhi Chawla.
The ADKR owners also manage teams in the CPL and WCPL (both Trinbago Knight Riders) and MLC (Los Angeles Knight Riders).
Desert Vipers
Team Owner: Lancer Capital LLC
Lancer Capital LLC owns Desert Vipers in the ILT20. Although they operate teams in other sports, it’s their first major investment in a T20 cricket league.
Avram Glazer, the chairman of Lancer Capital, co-owns Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the USA’s National Football League (NFL). He is also the co-chairman of Manchester United. Yes, the football club that competes in the English Premier League!
Dubai Capitals
Team Owner: GMR Group
GMR Group was the first to buy a franchise in the ILT20. And they zeroed in on the franchise based in the vibrant Dubai.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi owns the GMR Group, which has a portfolio of franchises in major sports. The highlight of the portfolio? Delhi Capitals, which the group co-owns with JSW Sports in the IPL and WPL.
GMR Group also owns a stake in Seattle Orcas in the USA’s MLC. The company recently bought a team in The Hundred – Southern Brave and an English county club – Hampshire Cricket Club.
Check Team Owners in Major T20 Leagues Here
Complete List of All IPL Team Owners
Complete List of All SA20 Team Owners
List: Owners of All Major League Cricket (MLC) Teams
Gulf Giants
Team Owners: Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd
Like GMR Group, Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd operates several sports teams. They manage the teams under their brand name – Giants. It’s quite familiar in India.
But the company made its first overseas sports investment in the ILT20.
Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd wanted to own a franchise in a T20 league for a long time. They even tried to own an IPL team. But somehow they fell short before their Gulf Giants deal went through.
The company also owns Gujarat Giants in India’s Women’s Premier League (WPL). Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd, meanwhile, is a subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Adani Group.
MI Emirates
Team Owners: Indiawin Sports Private Ltd (Reliance Industries)
Another Indian conglomerate owns MI Emirates in the ILT20. India and MI? Sounds like a familiar connection? It is!
You’ve perhaps heard of Mumbai Indians (MI), an IPL team. Their owners, Indiawin Sports Private Ltd, acquired a 100 per cent stake in MI Emirates.
Indiawin Sports Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries. The company also operates cricket franchises in the WPL, SA20 (MI Cape Town), MLC (MI New York), and The Hundred (Oval Invincibles).
Sharjah Warriorz
Team Owners: Capri Sports (Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd)
The Sharjah-based franchise also has an Indian ownership in place. Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd owns Sharjah Warriorz through its subsidiary, Capri Sports.
Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd operates in the non-banking financial sector in India. Through its sports arm, the company also owns UP Warriorz in the WPL.
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