MUMBAI: Hero Caribbean Premier League franchise St Kitts & Nevis Patriots will be under new ownership for the upcoming CPL.
City Sports, Hong Kong – part of the City Group of companies, bought the franchise from businessmen Uday Nayak and Mohammed Ansari, who owned the team in partnership with the government of St Kitts & Nevis.
City Sports are not new to cricket franchise ownership. They own City Kaitak in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz as well as being the former owners of the Bloem City Blazers, a team who were scheduled to step out in Cricket South Africa’s now defunct Global T20 League.
The company is headed by Sushil Kumar and Naren Kunder who are based in Hong Kong. Kumar has investments in event management, information technology, food and beverage and sports management. Kunder has business interests in the garments industry, stationary and electronics.
Patriots, based at Warner Park, replaced Antigua Hawksbills for the 2015 season and have gone on to make their mark in the tournament, reaching the 2017 final before going down to eventual champions, Trinbago Knight Riders – a subsidiary of Knight Riders Sports Pvt Ltd (KRSPL), the holding company that owns and operates Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The current team is led by Chris Gayle who has been at the forefront of the team’s success during his two years as captain.
Kumar said: “We at City Sports are elated to be a part of the Hero CPL and having acquired the St Kitts & Nevis franchise we want to become part of the local community through the game of cricket. We want to promote the spirit of true sportsmanship and fair play, while at the same time creating a unique identity through our focus on performance and development.
“With a total economic impact for the Hero CPL 2018 being in excess of $127million, we are looking to bring a greater economic impact to St Kitts & Nevis in 2019 and beyond. We are also hoping our investment into the St Kitts & Nevis franchise is a catalyst to further investment into the country and growth of its economy.”
Former Patriots owner Nayak said: “As a firm believer in St. Kitts & Nevis, we feel we have taken the Patriots as far as we can, and it is time for us to hand it over to more experienced hands. We are delighted to have found new owners like City Sports who have a history of investing in cricket and want to take the franchise forward. We wish them all the best for the future.”
Pete Russell, COO of CPL said: “We have been delighted with the way that the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots franchise has grown since they first joined the league in 2015 and we are certain that the City Group can take the team forward to even greater success. This investment shows the high regard in which the CPL is held around the world and how the tournament continues to go from strength to strength.
“St Kitts & Nevis has always been a big part of CPL since we first had games there in 2014 and we look forward to that continuing for years to come. We would like to express our thanks to Dr Uday Nayak, Mohammad Ansari and their team for the amazing job they have done with the Patriots over the years.”
