IPL's Mumbai Indians and Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders franchise, are set to join hands in the upcoming Emirates T20 League in January next year.
The six-team league is the creation of former IPL chief operating officer Sundar Raman. It is now being run by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) with the backing of the head of the UAE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Social Development, Sheikh Al Nahyan.
The Glazer family, owners of the Manchester United football club, who recently fell short in their bid for one of the two new IPL franchises, will also invest in the new league.
Financial services company Capri Global also showed interest in the bids for the IPL franchise. They, too, will finance a team in the Emirates T20 League. Delhi Capitals co-owner Kiran Kumar Gandhi will also invest in the league, though without Parth Jindal, the other 50% co-owner of the IPL franchise.
The Sydney Sixers, one of the most successful Australian Big Bash League franchises, will make the final team of the Emirates T20 League, adding to their long-going attempts to invest in leagues outside their home country.
"January month is a great time to play cricket in the UAE. The destination caters to multiple time zones, especially in the west. It suits prime-time in the Indian sub-continent very well, as we've seen during the last two IPLs and the recent T20 World Cup that were played there." said the UAE cricket board.
The Emirates T20 League's reported business model will see franchisees invest annually and work on returns through broadcast and sponsorship
Fans and players from around the world are expected to attend this new competition, as they did for the previous tournaments in the Middle East.