Cricket Ireland signs multi-million euro deal with Indian-born billionaire Pallonji Mistry
Cricket Ireland have secured a major coup for Irish cricket by signing a 10-year sponsorship deal with a group of companies owned by Indian-born billionaire and Ireland’s richest man, Pallonji Mistry.
The 10-year deal, which BBC believes to be around £2m, will result in the country’s cricket academy being renamed the Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy.
Mistry, who is currently ranked as the world’s 62nd richest man, is believed to be having a personal fortune of £9.55 billion according to Forbes Magazine.
His wife Patsy Perin Dubash was born in Dublin and both his sons have Irish passports, which led to the 1929-born businessman deciding to relinquish his Indian citizenship in favour of an Irish one back in 2003.
The Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which is the name of Mistry’s consortium, will, apart from having the naming rights to the Cricket Ireland Academy, also become an official partner to Cricket Ireland as per as the historic deal.
Mistry, in his statement post the announcement of the deal, said that as “Irish citizens”, his family viewed this as a "small contribution as a token of gratitude towards Ireland".
Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom, meanwhile, couldn’t contain his excitement at securing the sponsorship deal which will enable Ireland to move up the cricketing ladder in the coming years.
The development of our next generation of international cricketers in the national academy is one of our most important tasks, and requires significant investment, understanding and an ability to take the long view," Deutrom said.
"In the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, we are immensely proud to have found the perfect partner to share that vision, and help us mould our nation's cricketing future for at least the next 10 years."