Shahrukh Khan, Knight Riders bet big on USA-based Major Cricket League

Taking its ambitions to take the game into different parts of the world, the Knight Riders Group which is owned by Sharukh Khan and Juhi Chawla among others have decided to invest in the Major League Cricket (MLC) that is scheduled to take off in 2022. The investment by the group will enable USA Cricket in running a league comprising six teams. The investment in the MLC will be the third strategic investment by the group in the game as it also knows the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in the Indian Premier League along with the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.

The CEO of KKR, Venky Mysore said that the group was keen on the prospect of the development of cricket in the United States and that the latest investment is an extension of its plans for global expansion of the game. He also heaped optimism that the experience of running two franchises in the two different leagues will help the group in playing a ‘broader role’ for the success of the Major Cricket League.

“We feel fortunate to have been consistently recognized as one of the best franchises in T20 cricket and have become one of the fastest-growing sports brands in the world. As T20 cricket expands internationally, we are flattered by the regular inbound requests to play a major role in growing the sport abroad. We have had a keen interest in the developments in the United States and our expansion into the U.S. is consistent with our long-term strategy. We look forward to the new challenge of building cricket in the world’s most sophisticated sports and media market and we believe that we can bring a huge amount of expertise to help make Major League Cricket realize the potential that it undoubtedly has,” Mysore said.

Shahrukh Khan said that the expansion of the Knight Riders brand has always been the agenda paramount for the group and they have been watching the potential of UAS as a market for the development of a T20 league. Sharukh, too, said that the MLC holds great potential for the future of cricket in the US and he also emphasised the role the Knight Riders group will play for its success.

“For several years now, we have been expanding the Knight Riders brand globally and closely watching the potential for T20 cricket in the USA. We are convinced that Major League Cricket has all the pieces in place to execute on its plans and we look forward to making our partnership an enormous success in the coming years,” Sharukh Khan said.

The MLC was scheduled to take off in 2021 but now has been delayed to 2022 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. USA Cricket had made its intentions clear back in 2018 about the league and had asked for the Request of Proposal.

"This is an exciting time for cricket in the United States with the formation of our new Board of Directors, USA Cricket's pending recognition as an ICC approved National Federation and the performance of our athletes on the field of play," This RFP continues on the positive momentum as we seek to build a successful and sustainable league domestically,” USA Cricket chairman Paraag Marathe had said in 2021.

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Mashrafe Mortaza apologises for violating bio-bubble rules

Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has issued an apology for violating rules pertaining to the bio-bubble in place for the players taking part in Bangabandhu T20 Cup - Bangladesh's domestic T20 tournament. Mortaza, who is not taking part in the tournament risked exposing the paricipant players by showing up at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Academy on Tuesday. The veteran seamer arrived to have an individual training session. However, player at the academy were supposed to stay out of touch with people who are not part of the insulated group. "Actually, it was an unintentional mistake by Mashrafe and he is sorry for that," Debashish Chowdhury, chief physician of BCB, told the media. "Actually he was supposed to practice indoors alone but somehow failed to understand it and instead went to the academy premises where other cricketers were training," Chowdhury elaborated, further adding, "We will make sure he doesn't repeat the mistake but at the same time, we have to say that he did not get close to the cricketers and maintained a six-feet distance. Taking that into consideration, I don't think he had put anyone at risk." The 37-year old cricketer had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the year. He also struggled with a knee injury that kept him out of action in domestic cricket. As of now, the former skipper is trying to return to full fitness but has gained some weight, according to reports in the media. Considering his disappointing performance in last year's World Cup, his future looks uncertain.

Players fearful to ask for break: Mohammad Amir attacks Pakistan selectors

Mohammed Amir, who has been dropped from the upcoming tour of New Zealand has questioned the ongoing selection policies by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The left-arm pacer said that players are reluctant to ask for a break in order to freshen up as they fear of getting dropped from the team. "The problem is that if a player musters the courage to say in Pakistan cricket that he wants rest, he is dropped, so players are now scared about speaking about it with the management," Amir told the 'News One' channel. Amir called for better communication between the selectors and players for the development of Pakistan cricket. He said that players are developing the mindset of living in the fear of getting the axe from the squad. He suggested that players should be given space to express their point of views openly when and if they need and the selectors, too, should understand and consider their problems. “There is a mindset in Pakistan cricket where players are scared of being dropped from the team. I think this communication gap should be removed between players and the management. If a player wants to take a break he should be happy to speak about it with the management and they should understand his point of view and give him rest instead of dropping him from the team," Amir said. He cited the example of ‘controversy’ that his decision to retire from Tests created although he says that coach Mickey Arthur knew well in advance that I had to leave Test cricket due to increased workload. He said a prolonged hiatus from cricket due to his time in prison and ban left him without cricket and when he returned after a ban of five years, he faced issues with his knees, eyes, and shoulders but his calls for workload management were not heeded by the selectors and physios. Amir also rued the fact that people still can’t look at him beyond the lens of his past that was marred by a spot-fixing scandal. Amir expressed disappointment that the world still judges him for his past and overlooks his present. Mohammed Amir, who has been dropped from the upcoming tour of New Zealand has questioned the ongoing selection policies by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The left-arm pacer said that players are reluctant to ask for a break in order to freshen up as they fear of getting dropped from the team. "The problem is that if a player musters the courage to say in Pakistan cricket that he wants rest, he is dropped, so players are now scared about speaking about it with the management," Amir told the 'News One' channel. Amir called for better communication between the selectors and players for the development of Pakistan cricket. He said that players are developing the mindset of living in the fear of getting the axe from the squad. He suggested that players should be given space to express their point of views openly when and if they need and the selectors, too, should understand and consider their problems. “There is a mindset in Pakistan cricket where players are scared of being dropped from the team. I think this communication gap should be removed between players and the management. If a player wants to take a break he should be happy to speak about it with the management and they should understand his point of view and give him rest instead of dropping him from the team," Amir said. He cited the example of ‘controversy’ that his decision to retire from Tests created although he says that coach Mickey Arthur knew well in advance that I had to leave Test cricket due to increased workload. He said that no one from the team management had a word with him for months after he made his decision known to them but an unnecessary controversy was created after the defeat against Australia last year. He said a prolonged hiatus from cricket due to his time in prison and ban left him without cricket and when he returned after a ban of five years, he faced issues with his knees, eyes, and shoulders but his calls for workload management were not heeded by the selectors and physios. Ultimately, Amir in pursuit of prolonging his career, decided to call it a day in the longest format of the game. "I only decided to retire from Test cricket when I realised my body could not take it and if I wanted to prolong my career I had to do something. So I decided to give up Test cricket to prolong my career," Amir added. Amir also rued the fact that people still can’t look at him beyond the lens of his past that was marred by a spot-fixing scandal. Amir expressed disappointment that the world still judges him for his past and overlooks his present. "Yes what happened in 2010 was wrong and I paid for it by being out of cricket for five years so much so I couldn't even play club matches. But people still tend to judge you by the past, not from the present. I think only God has the power to be judgmental and I just believe if your conscience is clear it is okay. But there is more negativity than positivity in Pakistan cricket," Amir said.

David Warner's Injury Could Bring About a First for Australia in 20 Years

There are serious concerns in the Australian camp about the availability of David Warner for the first Test against India that begins on December 17. However, if Warner indeed isn't available for the first Test, the Aussie team may provide a sight not seen in the last 20 years. It will be of two right-handed batsmen opening the innings for them. These two openers, if things turn out this way, would be Joe Burns and Will Pucovski. Warner injured his groin during the second ODI against India on Sunday. He has been ruled out for the T20I series against India and now, coach of the team, Justin Langer, has stated that he isn't "holding his breath" hoping for Warner to be fit in time for the opening Test of the series. Joe Burns has played quite a few Tests for Australia at the Test level but hasn't been able to retain his spot. Pucovski, on the other hand, is a highly-talented young batsman who scored back-to-back double hundreds recently in the Sheffield Shield. There is a third contender for the opening slot in the form of Marcus Harris, who opened the innings for Australia in their last series against India. But Burns and Pucovski seems to be ahead in the race at the moment. So, who were the two right-handers who opened the innings for Australia 20 years ago? They were Michael Slater and Greg Blewett. These two opened the innings for Australia, together, 22 times. It was in March 2000 that they last came out together at the start of the innings. Since then, Australia have used 33 opening pairs but not a single one of them has had two right-handers. The legendary Matthew Hayden-Justin Langer duo was the most prominent and played a key role in making the team a most dominant force in world cricket. Aussies haven't been able to find a stable replacement for the Hayden-Langer duo since the two parted. David Warner established himself as an opener in 2011 and has opened with several other batsmen. The search for a long-term partner for him still continues. In terms of history, the most successful opening combine for Australia in Tests, consisting of two right-handers, was the one of Geoff Marsh and David Boon. They scored 1871 runs at an average of 46.78 during thier stint.

BJ Watling doubtful for 1st Test against Windies, Kiwis call up Devon Conway

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling is doubtful for the first Test against West Indies scheduled to start on December 03. Kiwis’ head coach Gary Stead has confirmed the status of Watling injury and said that the right-hander has picked up a hamstring niggle in a domestic List A tournament. Watling’s injury has opened the selection door for rookie Devon Conway as the left-hander has been added to the Test squad as a cover for Watling. He has had an outstanding run of form in the current season of the domestic Plunket Shield, amassing 410, following an equally dominating last Plunket Shield season where he had piled on 710 runs with the top score of 327 not out. Conway has shown his mettle with the bat in the just-concluded T20 series against West Indies and he will face a stiff challenge from Will Young for an opener’s slot to partner Tom Latham at the top of the order as the head coach Gary Stead has confirmed that Tom Blundell who had opened in the last Test series against India will be shifted down the order to replace Watling as a wicketkeeper. Will Young scored a splendid 133 runs against the touring West Indies squad for the Test series. New Zealand won the T20 series 2-0 after persistent spells of rain washed off the last game. The competition for the men in maroon will be a lot stiffer in Tests as Kiwis will bank on the experience and pedigree and variation of its pacers along with the reliability and class of batsmen such as Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson.