It has been announced by the American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) that there has been the induction of the Knight Riders franchise as a key investor in the multi-million dollar Major League Cricket. This is one of those major announcements that are lined up and they are also going to unveil the list of investors as part of the major development. All the dignitaries from Silicon Valley are going to be present at the start of the major occasion.
Knight Riders will get a foot in the door as the investment will provide it space in the largest market in the world of media. The franchise has got successful offshoots in the Caribbean and India. The involvement of the franchise is going to be a major shot in the arm for the entire league but things are still in the phase of conceptualization.
One of the co-founders of ACE, Vijay Srinivasan has recognized the occasion as one of the watershed moments in the endeavor of ACE to take huge steps in making cricket mainstream in the USA. He went on to say that they are very excited because Knight Riders are going to buy into Major Cricket League and also its vision. They are very much looking towards working with them and bring home the potential of American cricket and deliver fruitful results. It is great to have the franchise and their expertise early in the process as part of the launch of the league. Furthermore, the investment is going to be a validation of the plans. The investment is going to be long-term and strategic and will help in boosting the future of cricket in the United States.
It should be noted that the investment made by the Knight Riders will take place at the league level and it is not going to be at the franchise level. This has been the same modus operandi of the Knight Riders in the Caribbean and India.
The CEO of the Knight Riders franchise, Venky Mysore admitted the fact they have received a lot of proposals to invest in numerous sporting leagues all across the globe every month. According to Mysore, this is a homecoming of sorts in a country where he spent 13 years and worked as a professional.
Mysore spoke to Cricbuzz and said that the largest media market in the world is the US and a unique opportunity is provided by the proliferation of the diaspora of the Commonwealth nations. According to him, there is a huge enough market for cricket as well as other brands in the US who would prefer cricket as a major platform to advertise as activation and marketing plans are built around the product. A considerable appetite for licensing and merchandising is also there and one can build an elite product with a smart and systematic approach. With optimum marketing and packaging, a truly special thing can be built.
