According to the recent revelations from Knight Riders Group in association with the Major Cricket League (MLC) and the City of Irvine, the groups are set to build a world-class cricket stadium in the city of Los Angeles, California. The stadium can certainly be an ambassador of the game in the United States of America (US), where cricket is not the most followed sport.
On Saturday, April 30, the authorities confirmed the approval of an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) to step onward with lease negotiations and design approvals to build the stadium. The world-class stadium will be built on a 15-acre plot in a metropolitan area in the city of Los Angeles specified as, Great Park.
The stadium will host MLC, the USA’s professional T20 cricket league, exclusively sanctioned by USA Cricket. The facility will also operate as a possible venue for significant worldwide events, including the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
The development may indeed involve million-dollar investments and the prominent American architecture firm HKS will design an iconic home for cricket in the USA. The Knight Riders Group (KRG) is a founding investor in the MLC and is working closely on various aspects, of the subject.
KRG are the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and possess a substantial involvement in the world T20 cricket, with them.
Moreover, the stadium design includes state-of-the-art training facilities, locker rooms, luxury suites, dedicated parking, concessions, field lighting, and an international-grade pitch, corresponding to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) regulations and laws, which will allow the site to host international games.
The KRG owner, Shah Rukh Khan quoted, “Our investment in MLC in America, is based on our belief in the exciting future of cricket in the USA and is well-aligned to our strategy of establishing Knight Riders as a global brand in T20 cricket. Plans to build a world-class cricket stadium in the greater Los Angeles area are exciting for us and MLC. This will no doubt have a transformational impact on one of the world’s most iconic metropolitan areas.”
“MLC is committed to building outstanding infrastructure for cricket” – MLC co-founder
Furthermore, the Co-Founders of MLC Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan revealed, “MLC is committed to building outstanding infrastructure for cricket in key markets accessible to legions of cricket-loving fans. We’re grateful to the City of Irvine for agreeing to explore this development in the heart of Orange County.”
“Great Park’s position as a hub for community recreation and its array of first-class sports facilities makes it an ideal location for the potential addition of a venue serving the local cricket-loving community and the broader Greater Los Angeles region with major international cricket events set to take place there,” they added.
Besides, USA national cricket team is yet to flourish and they have got a huge opportunity to participate in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2024, due to automatic qualification rule, as the USA is supposed to host the WC, along with West Indies. USA Cricket is expected to bid for more men’s and women’s international cricket tournaments. ICC too is trying to include cricket in the Olympic Games LA28, which will eventually influence the cricket culture in the USA and world cricket to a huge extent.
Written By Prachi Pisal
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