The gentleman’s game, cricket, is looking to spread its wings in the land of basketball, soccer, and baseball. The United States of America (USA) is one of the biggest sports markets on this planet.
Thus, the USA Cricket — the country’s governing body — along with American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) launched the Major League Cricket (MLC) in 2023. In a short span, the MLC has garnered a significant fan following from cricket nerds.
The players and franchises have started to build their fanbases in their respective cities. And here’s a look at the owners of all MLC teams.
Los Angeles Knight Riders Owners | Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd
Looks like a familiar name, isn’t it? Well, if you have watched the Indian Premier League (IPL), then you must’ve heard of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The owners of KKR have obtained the rights of the Los Angeles franchise in the MLC and named it Los Angeles Knight Riders. The owners — Shahrukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment and Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta’s Mehta Group — operate the team through Knight Riders Sports Private Limited.
MI New York Owners | Indiawin Sports Pvt Ltd
Another franchise owned by an IPL team owner. The Mumbai Indians owners, Indiawin Sports Private Limited — secured the rights for the New York-based franchise.
Indiawin Sports Private Limited is a subsidiary company of the Reliance Group, an Indian conglomerate. The company named their team MI New York adding one more team to their MI Family.
San Francisco Unicorns Owners | Anand Rajaraman & Venky Harinarayan
San Francisco is home to many renowned companies and startups. And no wonder two Indian-origin entrepreneurs Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan own the San Francisco Unicorns team.
Both entrepreneurs co-founded some notable ventures like Junglee Corp., Cambrian Ventures, and Kosmix, which later got acquired by big companies.
Also Read | 5 USA Cricketers You Should Know as a Cricket Fan!
Seattle Orcas Owners | GMR Group & Satya Nadella
The name of the team may not sound familiar, but it’s co-owned by an IPL team owner. Moreover, you must have seen Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella attend some IPL matches in Delhi in recent seasons.
Well, that’s the connection between Nadella and GMR Group — co-owners of Delhi Capitals — operating a franchise in MLC under the Seattle Orcas name.
Texas Super Kings Owners | Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd, Anurag Jain & Ross Perot Jr.
This is the fourth MLC team to have the presence of an IPL team owner. Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited, which owns CSK in the IPL, has a stake in the Texas Super Kings.
Moreover, Anurag Jain and Ross Perot Jr., both long-time business partners, part-own the Texas-based franchise.
Washington Freedom Owners | Sanjay Govil
Washington Freedom is based out of the USA’s capital city, Washington, DC. An Indian-American businessman, Sanjay Govil, owns the Washington-based franchise.
Govil is the founder and chairman of Infinite Computer Solutions, a global technology platform provider.
