What’s the story?
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has shown heavy interest in buying a side in the T20 Global League, a South Africa-based competition scheduled to held later this year.The sports division of Shah Rukh Khan’s management has, according to a report in Mumbai Mirror, been in talks with Cricket South Africa to place a bid to buy one of the eight teams.
Also read: South Africa's T20 Global Destination League can match IPL, claims AB de Villiers
In case you didn’t know…
The T20 Global League, scheduled to be held in the last part of the 2017-18 season, is a venture by Cricket South Africa to popularise the sport in the country and match the various T20 leagues sprouting all across the globe. The process of applying for the ownership of the eight teams started off in February this year. Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard and Jason Roy will be starring as international marquee players whereas Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir will be the South African marquee counterparts.
The heart of the matter
Already the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League and the Trinbago Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, the 51-year-old has a huge following in the country, especially since Zee bought rights for his films and has been broadcasting it on local channels. The Bollywood star’s management is keen on buying a team in Johannesburg or Cape Town, two of the biggest hotspots, and had set eyes on the venture ever since it was launched a few months ago. One of the members of his team flew down to South Africa to discuss the possibilities with Haroon Lorgat, the CSA’s Chief Executive.
What’s next?
The announcements of the team owners, as well as the players, will be held at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 19.
Author’s Take
There is already a strong Indian flavour in the CSA venture, with the expression of interest showing 35% of the potential owners being from India. More than 150 ownership expressions had been received until March itself.
However, given that Shah Rukh Khan has build brand KKR remarkably over the ten seasons of the IPL, and with the kind of interest that he garners in the country, his presence in CSA’s brainchild will be a big boost to the competition and can be a win-win situation for both parties.
