Los Angeles, April 29: The Knight Riders Group, in association with Major League Cricket (MLC) and the City of Irvine, announced Friday the approval of an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) to move forward with lease negotiations and design approvals to build a venue world class cricket on a 15 acre plot in Great Park.
It is seen as a significant step considering the prospects for cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “MLC is committed to building an exceptional infrastructure for cricket in key markets accessible to legions of cricket-loving fans. We are 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 range of world-class sporting facilities makes it an ideal location for the potential addition of a venue serving the local cricket-loving community and wider region. Greater Los Angeles with major international cricket events taking place there,” said Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan, co-founders of Major League Cricket.
The development would see a multi-million dollar investment, with internationally renowned architects HKS chosen to design the stadium in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Knight Riders Group is a founding investor in MLC and is working closely with MLC on various aspects related to the league’s launch in 2023.
KRG, owners of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), will bring significant experience from one of the most successful brands in world T20 cricket . to build MLC.
“Our investment in MLC in the US is based on our belief in the exciting future of cricket in the US and is well aligned with our strategy to establish Knight Riders as a global brand in T20 cricket. Plans to build a world-class cricket stadium in the greater Los Angeles area is exciting for us and for MLC. This will undoubtedly have a transformational impact on one of the most iconic metropolitan areas in the world,” said KRG owner and actor/producer of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan.
The stadium plans include state-of-the-art training facilities, changing rooms, luxury suites, dedicated parking, concessions, pitch lighting and a world-class pitch to meet International Cricket Council (ICC) accreditation and allow the venue to home to the highest level of international cricket competitions.
USA Cricket is expected to bid for future men’s and women’s World Cup tournaments, with the 2024 T20 Men’s World Cup already scheduled to be co-hosted by the United States of America and the West Indies. If the ICC is successful in bringing cricket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Great Park stadium would be seen as a central venue for the event in Southern California.