Venky Mysore claims USA sports leagues 'shocked' at Kolkata IPL team's business progress

The Indian Premier League (IPL) competition launched in 2008 and became an instant global phenomenon. Its popularity only soared further in the subsequent years as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) successfully exploited the modern-day T20 format and helped the game reach new houses, both within and across borders. While Kolkata IPL team CEO Venky Mysore thinks IPL is still just a “13-year-old infant”, the toddler has apparently garnered the attention of some sporting heavyweights like NBA and NFL as well.

Also Read | Harsha Bhogle Thrilled At Kolkata IPL Owners Buying LA T20 Franchise, Venky Mysore Reacts

Kolkata CEO Venky Mysore talks about IPL’s popularity in USA

On Wednesday, December 9, Venky Mysore interacted with veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (R Ashwin) on the latter’s YouTube channel. During their interaction, Mysore revealed that IPL has even garnered the attention of some major USA-based sporting leagues like NBA and NFL. When R Ashwin asked if IPL can compete with leagues like EPL in terms of popularity, Mysore said that while the tournament is still a “13-year-old infant”, a potential is “definitely there” to compete with “larger leagues”.

The Kolkata CEO added that whenever he is invited to certain press conferences upon his visit to United States (US), he often talks with officials involved in NBA, NFL and MLB. Through his conversations, he realised that IPL is already ahead of them in “certain aspects” like digital content and fan following, even though some of those competitions are over a century old.

Also Read | Will Parthiv Patel Play At The IPL 2021? Stumper Gives BIG Update On Future In Competition

Venky Mysore even revealed that some of those officials have expressed their surprises behind IPL’s rapid growth on a global level. He said that some of the officials often ask him, “Wow, you have done all this in such a short period of time?”. Here is a look at the entire conversation between R Ashwin and Venky Mysore as the franchise gears up for IPL 2021 season next year.

Also Read | IPL 2021 Auction Forces States To Prefer Mushtaq Ali Trophy Over Ranji Trophy?

Kolkata IPL team owners announce association with Major League Cricket

Earlier this month, the Kolkata IPL team owners extended their reach by announcing that they will be investing in an American-based upcoming Major League Cricket T20 tournament. Apart from already owning an IPL franchise, the Red Chillies Entertainment Group also owns a franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with Trinbago Knight Riders. On December 1, Venky Mysore took to Twitter and confirmed their partnership with American Cricket Enterprises.

Also Read | Virat Kohli & KL Rahul Jump Up A Place Each In Latest ICC T20I Rankings For Batsmen

Image source: IPLT20.COM