ST LUCIA – KING’S XI Punjab takes control of the St Lucia Zouks.
This is the second Indian Premier League (IPL) team to take control of a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel three years ago and renamed it Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR).
The announcement about Zouks was made at a press conference on Monday by Chief Operations Officer of CPL Pete Russell at the Sandals Grande St Lucia Resort and Spa in Gros Islet.
Mohit Burman, of KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, the consortium that owns the King’s XI Punjab, and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Satish Menon were in St Lucia for the revelation.
Burman said his team was happy with what they saw with the TRK arrangement.
He said, “We are a strong franchise and we have played every edition of the IPL.
“We will bring a lot of expertise to the set up at the Zouks and we are hoping to really see and improvement and to assist in the overall development of CPL and West Indies.”
Burman said he was in discussions with St Lucia Prime Minister Allan Chastanet who said the new arrangement was great news for St Lucia.
The prime minister said, “I have told Mohit that we will be looking beyond cricket and looking to better ties with India.”
Burman said: “We are excited at the opportunity to invest in one of the most exciting sporting tournaments in the world and we have been impressed by the vibrancy of CPL over the last seven years.
“We visualise taking the franchise to the next level and showcasing St Lucia in the best possible light over the coming years.”
