The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has announced Adani Group as a franchise in its upcoming private new T20 league tournament. Up until now, the ECB had confirmed the onboarding of five franchises so far, including Manchester United’s Glazer family. With Adani’s arrival, the ECB has all 6 franchises in place for the inaugural of the new T20 League.
The new tournament will be modelled after the IPL and is likely to take place from next January-February. Aside from the Adanis and Glazers, the ECB has named Dubai-based Capri Global, GMR of Delhi Capitals fame, and Reliance Industries as league stakeholders.
The ECB is yet to reveal Shah Rukh Khan’s ownership stake in the league, although it is expected to happen soon.
Meanwhile, the Emirates Board of Directors has previously agreed to a media rights agreement with the Zee Group.
ECB welcomes Adani Group to the UAE T20 League
In a statement released on Monday (May 9th), the ECB said
“Adani Sportsline, a part of the diversified Adani Group, has made a landmark foray into franchise cricket by acquiring the rights to own and operate a franchise in UAE’s flagship T20 league,”
It further stated
“Licensed by Emirates Cricket Board, the UAE T20 League is an annual event that will feature six franchise teams competing in a 34-match event. Top players from all the cricket playing countries are expected to be in the line-up of different teams.”
“The league will be providing a platform and exposure to upcoming young cricketers. This will be the first major move overseas by the Adani Sportsline that will connect and engage with global fans from across the cricketing nations,”
Meanwhile, the yet-to-launch UAE’s T20 League chairman, Khalid Al Zarooni, said
“It is a proud moment for us to announce the Adani Group’s association with the UAE’s T20 League as a Franchise team owner. This acquisition fits perfectly in the group of corporates who have already acquired franchise team rights in the League. The trust shown by the Adani Group augurs well for the League and we look forward to benefitting from their business acumen and working together to make our League successful.”
It may be noted that in October, an Ahmedabad-based company led by Asia’s richest man, Gautam Adani, attempted to acquire an IPL franchise.
As of now, no announcements have been made regarding the date and time for the auction of players. It is believed that the procedure will be in process soon so the league could be started in the next year.
