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Tag: Caribbean Premier League

  • Knight Riders Group acquires Abu Dhabi franchise in UAE T20 League

    Knight Riders Group acquires Abu Dhabi franchise in UAE T20 League

    Mumbai: UAE’s T20 League has announced that Knight Riders Group has acquired the rights to own and operate the Abu Dhabi franchise and will set up Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) as a part of the UAE’s flagship T20 league.

    After establishing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008 in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Knight Riders became owners of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2015. Recently, the Knight Riders Group made an investment in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US and intends to set up a franchise in the greater Los Angeles area.

    This investment by the Knight Riders Group, which is led by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, along with Juhi Chawla & her husband Jay Mehta, will establish their fourth T20 franchise around the world in IPL, CPL, MLC and now in UAE’s T20 league.

    Khan said, “For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the UAE. We are excited about becoming part of UAE’s T20 League, which no doubt will become hugely successful.”

    “The commitment to grow the T20 format and the expertise gathered by the Knight Riders Group, through their involvement in franchise cricket across the world, is undisputed,” commented UAE’s T20 League chairman Khalid Al Zarooni. “We are exceptionally pleased with their foresight to join forces with the UAE’s T20 League and firmly believe it will elevate the reputation, and professionalism of the League throughout the cricket community.”

    “We are pleased with the association of the Knight Riders Group with the League as a franchise team owner, we are very confident that this association will be mutually beneficial for both Knight Riders brand and the League,” said Emirates Cricket Board general secretary Mubashshir Usmani. “UAE’s T20 League will attract some of the biggest names in world cricket while also giving a platform and international exposure to local and upcoming players.”

    “We feel fortunate to have been consistently recognised as a global brand in T20 cricket,” stated KKR, Red Chillies Entertainment CEO Venky Mysore. “As T20 cricket expands around the world, we are flattered by the regular invitations to play a major role in growing the sport across the world. We have had a keen interest in the developments in the UAE and our expansion is consistent with our long-term strategy.”

  • HERO MOTOCORP SETS THE STAGE FOR RETURN OF TWENTY20 CRICKET

    HERO MOTOCORP SETS THE STAGE FOR RETURN OF TWENTY20 CRICKET

    The wait is over!Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer is set to bring the exciting cricketing action back with Hero Caribbean Premier League (Hero CPL),popularly known as the ‘Biggest Party in Sport’, startingfrom 18 August to 10 September 2020.

    Marking the return of the electrifying Twenty20 format of the game in the ‘New Normal’, the tournament will be conducted in a bio-secure environment to meet the safety and social distancing protocols. In a first for a cricket premier league, the matches would be played in stadiums without any spectators, with the objective to maintain social distancing.

    Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman & CEO of Hero MotoCorp, said, “Hero MotoCorp has always believed in supporting and promoting sporting action across the world and we are glad to be leading the efforts towards the resumption of top sporting event in the Caribbean. The Hero CPL T20marks the gradual return of live action sports after a gap of nearly four months. The Hero Caribbean Premier League is an exciting opportunity to highlight the cricketing Heroes from around the world.”

    The Hero CPL will bring the best T20 cricketersin action from the Caribbean and from around the world. This includes the likes of Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Ross Taylor and Dwayne Bravo.

    The Hero CPLT20 will witness participation from six popular teams –Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Jamaica Tallawahs andSt Lucia Zouks.

    The tournament will see 33 games played at two venues in Trinidad and Tobago. Hero CPL 2019 runners-up – Guyana Amazon Warriors will take onTrinbago Knight Riders in the opening match, while the second game will be contested between Barbados Tridents and St Kitts and Nevis.

    Hero CPL T20 will be broadcasted on Star Sports 1 and 1HD, Star Sports 2 and 2HD, Star Sports Hindi 1 and Hindi 1HD and will also be live streamed on FanCode. Matches will be held at 7.30 PM and 3.00 AM (following day) on weekday and 7.30 PM and 11.45 PM on weekends (IST)respectively.

    First started in 2013, the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant Carnival atmosphere.

    For further information visit www.cplt20.com.

  • Kyazoonga signs Rs 100 crore ticketing deal with Caribbean Premier League

    Kyazoonga signs Rs 100 crore ticketing deal with Caribbean Premier League

    MUMBAI: Kyazoonga has signed a multi-year ticketing deal with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the official T20 championship in the West Indies to provide its proprietary ticketing and accreditation solution. The deal worth over Rs 100 crore over the term will see Kyazoonga manage the entire ticketing and accreditation operations for the CPL. The company ticketed CPL last year as well.

     

    The CPL, a highly popular league with a wide array of international cricket stars, continues to expand and grow stronger. The league has a six team format with representation from the six main cricket playing countries – Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, St. Kitts and St. Lucia. Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR has recently bought the Trinidad & Tobago team.

     

    Kyazoonga introduced professionalized e-ticketing in sports and entertainment to India in 2007 and has continued to democratize access to some of the largest events in the sub-continent such as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the Sachin Tendulkar Retirement Test, several IPL teams since the first season, Bryan Adams India Concert Tour, Guns N’ Roses India Concert Tour, the annual Jaipur Literature Festival, among others.

     

    CPL CEO Damien O’ Donohoe said, “We have been extremely pleased with the technology, operational and system capabilities and the quality of service that Kyazoonga has brought to CPL’s ticketing programme. Having worked with other major ticketing service providers in the world, Kyazoonga felt like a breath of fresh air when they were able to quickly set up ticketing operations across multiple countries in the region and successfully overcome all the challenges that come with a geographically and culturally diverse ticketing market.  We are delighted with the deal that will help us grow the tournament bigger and better. The team from Kyazoonga never ceases to pleasantly surprise us with their positive, technology-driven approach to come up with solutions.”

     

    Kyazoonga CEO Neetu Bhatia added, “Kyazoonga is incredibly proud to be associated with CPL and to bring to bear the cutting-edge capabilities that we have developed in ticketing. We are thrilled that our ‘Make-in-India’ ticketing technology and experience is driving some of the largest ticketing programmes in the world. Our experience of building and growing the ticketing market in India has been very valuable in developing superior products and services that work equally seamlessly for more mature markets in the western world.”

     

    The 2015 season of the Caribbean Premier League is now underway and tickets are available on-sale online on cplt20.com or kyazoonga.com/cpl and also at various Kyazoonga-powered retail outlets and box-offices across the Caribbean.

  • CPL takes a leap with SRK as franchise owner; Hero as title sponsor

    CPL takes a leap with SRK as franchise owner; Hero as title sponsor

    MUMBAI: With two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp as title sponsor and actor Shah Rukh Khan as the owner of Trinidad and Tobago franchise, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is emerging as a substantial entity in the franchisee cricket fraternity.

     

    Both developments are of huge magnitude for the mushrooming league as Khan’s involvement will drive his fans to the sports too, which will result in increased viewership.

     

    The broadcasting right of CPL is with Multi Screen Media’s sports and entertainment channel Sony Six, which also telecasts Indian Premier League (IPL). A viewership boost will only help the channel generate more revenue.

     

    Not long back after Hero invested heavily on Indian Super League (ISL) and bagged the title sponsors tag speculations were drawn that the automobile company will permanently move away from cricket and endorse other emerging leagues. However, the one-year deal with CPL quashes all speculations. As part of the deal, CPL will now be called as Hero Caribbean Premier League, which is synonymous with other sports properties like Hero Indian Super league and Hero Hockey India League.

     

    Hero has been associated with cricket for over two decades in various capacities. In 2007, Hero was the Global Partner of the ICC World Cup, held in West Indies.

      

    Speaking to Times of India after signing the deal with CPL franchise Trinidad and Tobago, Khan said, “This is in line with our vision to expand globally. We are thrilled to become part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad & Tobago. The passion for franchise cricket in the Caribbean is evident with the success of CPL and we hope to bring all the best practices of KKR to the T&T franchise.”

     

    Speaking about the deal, Hero MotoCorp CEO and managing director Pawan Munjal said, “Hero MotoCorp has been associated with sports, and particularly cricket, for well over two decades. The game of cricket has for long remained the most popular sport in India, and also in the Caribbean. As Hero rapidly expands its global footprint, we have been forging strong associations with sporting icons and events as part of our global brand building initiatives. Caribbean cricket and cricketers have always been highly popular in India and in many other parts of the world, and our title sponsorship of the CPL is a logical extension of our long-term association with the game. We look forward to a highly exciting month of cricket in the Caribbean.” 

     

    Hero Caribbean Premier League chairman Richard Bevan added, “It is our pleasure to have the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp, as title sponsor of CPL. Hero has been one of the leading sponsors of cricket throughout the game’s history, and it is a testament to CPL’s growing success that the event will now be known as the Hero CPL. We look forward to Hero’s support and to making season 3 of the CPL the biggest yet.

     

    CPL started two years back and has been growing in terms of both players’ participation and global viewership. Renowned international cricketers like Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis and Shahid Afridi will join the Caribbean’s finest cricketers namely Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. The tournament will also witness participation of talented local players from the Caribbean region.

     

    CPL 2014 attracted a massive global audience in excess of 65 million. This number is expected to break all previous records to post record participation of spectators from around the world.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com a senior cricket expert asserts, “Caribbean cricketers have always been the best entertainers of cricket. If we see in recent times in the IPL, it has been Gayle. Pollard and Bravo have always been crowd pullers. Indian cricketers not participating will hamper viewership in India but if quality cricket is exhibited, then people will tune in provided there is no India match happening simultaneously.”

     

    He further added, “Shah Rukh Khan owning a franchise is a big boost for the league, as he will make efforts to promote the franchise. KKR was the first franchise to start generating profit from IPL so with his business mind, he will make sure he gets good returns.”

     

    A veteran media planning expert feels that though there are big names associated with the league, it is highly unlikely that the brand interaction will go anywhere close to IPL or any other India involved cricket match. “The game is clear, you have India playing cricket… it’s a festival. You have matches played in India, it is a celebration but cricket without Indian players will find it tough to garner viewership. Hero and Shah Rukh joining the league is good news for the league as well as for the broadcaster. However, at the end of the day, it’s the quality of cricket and cricketers that will get brands and viewers.”