The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) is set to acquire the St Lucia franchise of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), becoming the second IPL team to own a CPL team after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who acquired Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR).
Talking about the same, KXIP co-owner, Ness Wadia said, “We are about to sign an agreement to be part of CPL. We are getting the St Lucia franchise. The structure and name of the company will only be communicated after we get BCCI’s approval. Mohit Burman (co-owner) is in the Caribbean at the moment to sign the agreement. We want to especially thank the Prime Minister of St Lucia Allan Chastanet and Tourism Minister Dominic Fedde for making this possible. We have been pursuing this for almost nine months.”
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St Lucia Zouks is one of the six teams competing in the CPL and they play under the leadership of former West Indies captain Darren Sammy. On the other hand, KKR had acquired Trinbago Knight Riders in 2015, who are the most successful CPL franchise to date, having won three titles.
St Lucia’s best performance to date came in 2016 when it finished fourth. The CPL, which began in 2013, is among the established T20 leagues in the world. Pete Russell, Chief Operating Officer of the Hero CPL, said: “We are hugely excited to welcome this ownership team to the CPL family and we are looking forward to seeing where they take the Zouks during the upcoming season and beyond. They bring with them a wealth of experience which is fantastic news for both the CPL and St Lucia as a whole.”
St Lucia Prime Minister Chastanet also welcomed the development.
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The Prime Minister said, “I welcome the new owners of the Saint Lucia Zouks and hope that their new energy and drive will inspire the team to excel. Saint Lucians continue to root for the Zouks and we are encouraged by the confidence that Mr. Mohit Burman and his team have placed in the players and Saint Lucia.”
The 2020 CPL will be held from August 19 to September 26. IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore’s former owner Vijay Mallya had lost ownership of CPL team Barbados Tridents last year.
