Bollywood star and owner of Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan, has purchased Caribbean Premier League team Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.
SRK can expect to be in illustrious company shortly, with Hollywood actors Gerard Butler and Mark Wahlberg owning the Jamaica Tallawahs and the Barbados Tridents respectively in the CPL.
The Tridents are skippered by West Indies and Mumbai ace Kieron Pollard while the explosive Chris Gayle skippers the side from Jamaica.
Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the company that Khan co-owns with his wife, and KKR co-owners Jay Mehta and his wife and former Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, have acquired a stake in the Trinidad based franchise.
The upcoming edition of the CPL will run between June 20 and July 26 this year. The actor has become the first person to own an IPL team as well as an overseas franchise. Khan was overjoyed with his latest acquisition.
He said: “This is in line with our vision to expand globally. We are thrilled to become a part of the cricketing tradition of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The actor added that he had been thrilled with the passion for cricket in this part of the world and especially with the success of the CPL.
The business model of his IPL team, KKR has been immensely successful. The side have won the IPL on two occasions already – 2012 and 2014, and are the most valuable franchise in the IPL with a brand value of over 500 crore Rupees.
Venky Mysore, who is the man behind the success of the KKR in recent years said that the two time IPL champions were one of the most well managed teams in the IPL and that the management were keen to bring their experience to the CPL with the same goals in mind.
A significant portion of the population of Trinidad & Tobago comprises of people of Indian origin while the US city of Miami is only an hour away by flight. If the side are now able to attract such spectators to the stadium, it will be a major win-win for Khan as well as Indian cricket fans in the West.