Bollywood star & KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan buys CPL franchise Trinidad & Tobago

Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan has bought Caribbean Premier League (CPL ) team Trinidad and Tobago ahead of the 3rd edition of the tournament that will be played from June 20 to July 26. Shah Rukh’s decision to buy the franchise will undoubtedly add further glamour to a league which already has Hollywood stars Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler own teams. While Wahlberg owns the Kieron Pollard-led Barbados Tridents, who are the defending champions, Butler is the owner of the Chris Gayle-led Jamaica Tallawahs.

Shah Rukh, who has invested in the franchise along with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, 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," the 49-year-old added while speaking to the Times of India.

Trinidad & Tobago have players of the calibre of Dwayne Bravo, Jacques Kallis etc. in their ranks, and Shah Rukh’s presence could further help attract the large Indian diaspora to their matches.

KKR CEO Venky Mysore, who is a close associate of Shah Rukh and manages his sports business, added that the success they have had in establishing KKR as one of the most well run franchises in the IPL has encouraged them to expand at a global level.

"KKR has been fortunate to be recognized as one of the most professionally managed franchises in IPL. That experience has encouraged us to expand globally .The idea is to replicate our success in the CPL, keeping the growing interest in this (T20) format in mind," he said.