Cricket has been a sports activity very dear to the UAE, and the country has been organizing international matches since the 1980s.
But more than anything, it is the International League T20 (ILT20) super where cricket has been playing up to its full potential in the country. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) is in charge of running the six-team tournament. But who owns these six teams?
These are the owners of the six franchises in the ILT20.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Team Owner: Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd
Hmm, the Knight Riders. This name seems quite familiar, no?
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) is the sister franchise of Kolkata Knight Riders, which play in the IPL. And the owner of both these franchises? The Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd.
Now Marlene’s doing which she shares with husband Jay, who owns the Mehta Group and is the father of Juhi Chawla’s kids, visits the Indian film industry quite often. Among other things, the ADKR owners also run the Trinidad Knight Riders in both CPL and WCPL, and MLC (Los Angeles Knight Riders).
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Desert Vipers
Team Owner: Lancer Capital LLC
Desert Vipers in the ILT20 is a property of Lancer Capital LLC. They are not new to the sports world and have invested in other sports teams, but this is their first major step into a T20 cricket league.
Lancer Capital’s chairman Avram Glazer is also a co-owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, an NFL team in the USA. Among his various involvements, he is also a co-chairman at Manchester United! Yes, the English Premier League football club!
Dubai Capitals
Team Owner: GMR Group
GMR Group is the first buyer of a franchise in the ILT20. And guess what? They chose the franchise situated in the vibrant Dubai.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi is the owner of GMR Group which has a sports franchises portfolio that includes major leagues. The portfolio’s star is undoubtedly the Delhi Capitals, which the group co-owns with JSW Sports in the IPL and WPL.
GMR Group also has a minor stake in Seattle Orcas in America’s MLC. They have recently acquired a team in The Hundred – Southern Brave along with an English county club – Hampshire Cricket Club.
Gulf Giants
Team Owners: Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd
Just like GMR Group, so does Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd. They handle their teams across different sports under the brand name Giants. This is a well-known name in India.
However, this is the company’s first overseas sports investment in the ILT20.
Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd had a desire that a T20 league would provide them with a franchise for a long time. In fact, they attempted to obtain an IPL team on more than one occasion. But there was a gap that they could not breach before their deal with Gulf Giants finally went through.
The company, in addition, has the Gujarat Giants in India’s Women’s Premier League (WPL). Meanwhile, Adani Sportsline Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate Adani Group.
MI Emirates
Owners of the team: Indiawin Sports Private Ltd (part of Reliance Industries)
ILT20 has MI Emirates owned by another Indian conglomerate. India and MI? Sounds like a quite familiar connection? It is!
Probably you have heard of the Mumbai Indians (MI) IPL team. Their owners, Indiawin Sports Private Ltd, have purchased 100 percent of MI Emirates.
Indiawin Sports Private Ltd is a Reliance Industries subsidiary. The company also holds cricket franchises in WPL, SA20 (MI Cape Town), MLC (MI New York), and The Hundred (Oval Invincibles) besides its IPL team.
Sharjah Warriorz
Owners of the team: Capri Sports (Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd)
The Sharjah franchise has an Indian ownership as well. Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd controls Sharjah Warriorz via its subsidiary, Capri Sports.
Capri Global Holdings Pvt Ltd is an Indian non-banking financial company. In addition, through its sports arm, the company possesses the UP Warriorz team in WPL.
