T20 Global League franchises unveiled

ONLY two South African businessmen are on the list of people owning teams in Cricket SA’S T20 Global League, which is set to kick off in the country later this year.

Local entertainment boss Osman Ali Osman of Blu Blood Entertainment, and the director of Brimstone Investments, Mustaq Brey, were announced as owners of the Pretoria and Stellenbosch teams respectively.

The announcement of team owners happened at London’s Bulgari Hotel on Monday. The other owners are based in India, Pakistan, Hong Kong and Dubai, and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan acquired the Cape Town team.

The Durban team was bought by Fawad Rana, the owner of the Pakistan Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League. His team’s marquee player will be Hashim Amla.

Osman’s Pretoria team’s hot-shot player is Proteas ODI captain AB de Villiers.

“Going through the process, you needed to have the appetite for it. This was a huge achievement for us. With our core business being entertainment, this is the next step into the sporting sphere that we wanted to achieve.

“But more than being a diversification for our company brand, this is a huge opportunity for South Africa, in terms of the exposure that we are going to be getting globally from a tournament of this magnitude,” said Osman.

“The planning process started a while ago for us. Sport is not new to me because we have been involved in the Cape Town Golf Open for many years. We are looking forward to this experience,” said Brey.

The player selection for the teams is scheduled for August 19, with almost 400 players from 10 countries confirming their interest.

Local and international cricket fans can look forward to an exciting season of cricket, with the tournament set to take place in South Africa in November.