IPL Team Owners list: All you need to know about them
Owning an IPL team requires huge investment and a big heart. For common cricket lovers, owning an IPL team is a dream, a dream so beautiful that you literally cry and curse when you wake up. But, there are plenty of challenges an owner has to encounter that cricket lovers like us are not privy to.
Owners have to delegate the jobs to a dependable group responsible for managing an entire squad. The owners are also actively involved with the talent scouts and coaching staff before zeroing on players in the auction every year. It is also crucial that the owner trusts his advising committee completely when it comes to investing on unknown players.
The owners also need to keep a positive mindset even when their teams don’t do well. It’s imperative that the players get the backing of their owners all the time. A good team owner always keeps an open mind while taking decisions, which are best in their team’s interest.
Here we look at all the 8 IPL team owners.
Mumbai Indians – Reliance Industries
The franchise is owned by Reliance Industries through its 100% subsidiary IndiaWin Sports. Mumbai Indians has always been one of the most followed teams in the IPL from a fan’s perspective.
Nita Ambani, wife of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, is the face of Mumbai Indians. Always a regular feature in Mumbai Indian's games, she is an avid cricket lover. She is also a philanthropist and a supporter of numerous initiatives. She has contributed immensely to the development of the franchise and her mere presence seems to inspire and boost the morale of her team.
Delhi Capitals - GMR Group and JSW Group
The GMR Group purchased the Delhi franchise in 2008. Mr. G.M Rao owns the infrastructural company GMR Group, headquartered in Banaglore. Their home ground is the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in Delhi.
Kiran Grandhi, son of G M Rao, has been a regular feature at the team's matches and is usually seen quietly supporting them from the stands.
The group sold have their shares to the JSW group, renaming the franchise to Delhi Capitals. They revamped the entire team, injected young blood and got legends like Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly into the mix.
Kings XI Punjab- Preity Zinta, Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman, Karan Paul
The Kings XI Punjab is jointly owned by popular Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, Wadia Group‘s Ness Wadia, Dabur’s Mohit Burman and Karan Paul of the Apeejay Surrendra Group.
Preity Zinta however is the face of the team. She is normally seen in every KXIP game vociferously cheering for her players from the stands.
Sunrisers Hyderabad- Kalanithi Maran, Sun TV Network
The Sunrisers Hyderabad is owned by Kalanithi Maran. Maran, a dynamic personality, owns one of the biggest television network in India called Sun TV network.
Sunrisers Hyderabad is currently coached by Trevor Bayliss and is captained by another Aussie, David Warner.
Under their three marquee foreigners, Warner, Bairstow and Williamson, SRH have thrived like none other. After their historic winning campaign, the team regularly punched above their weight, mainly because of the prowess of the above three and Rashid Khan.