Knight Riders to be among high-profile investors in Major League Cricket in the US

The Knight Riders franchise will be one of the key investors in the upcoming Major League Cricket (MLC) tournament, the American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) has announced.

The franchise is already part of the Indian Premier League (Kolkata Knight Riders) and the Caribbean Premier League (Trinbago Knight Riders). However, unlike in the aforementioned T20 Leagues where they have their own teams, in ACE, Knight Riders will have a stake in the league itself.

The latest investment will allow them an opening into the largest media market in the world. The association with the Kolkata Knight Riders' parent company is seen as a major development for the ACE, which aims to make cricket big in the US.

"We are hugely excited by the Knight Riders buying into the vision of Major League Cricket and look forward to working with them to bring the potential of American cricket to fruition. It is great to have them in early in the process and have their expertise involved all the way through the league's launch," Vijay Srinivasan, a co-founder at ACE, was quoted as saying in a Cricbuzz report.

"Moreover, their investment is a statement of validation of our plans. This is a strategic long-term investment into the future of cricket in the United States," he added.

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There is a large enough market for cricket in the US: Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore

Venky Mysore, the Managing Director of the Kolkata Knight Riders, admitted that the franchise has been receiving numerous offers every month to invest in different sporting leagues.

Explaining the franchise’s decision to join the ACE, Mysore was quoted as saying in the Cricbuzz report:

"The US being the largest media market in the world and the proliferation of the commonwealth diaspora provides a unique opportunity. We believe there is a large enough market for cricket. There are brands in the US who would look at cricket as a platform to advertise and build activation plans and marketing plans around our product.”

The report adds that apart from pumping in $15-20 million dollars in equity and getting big names to feature in the league, the Knight Riders think tank will also play a role in the governance system and the economic model of MLC.