Manchester United co-owner buys UAE T20 franchise

Avram Glazer, whose family have owned the Old Trafford club since 2005, is the latest figure to invest in the six-team league due to launch in 2022

Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer has purchased one of the franchises involved in the new UAE T20 League due for lift-off in 2022

Glazer, who has a 10.2 per stake in the Premier League team, has led the acquisition of the as-yet-unnamed side through his private equity firm Lancer Capital.

It comes after the American family failed in their attempts to acquire one of the new sides added to the Indian Premier League.

“I am very excited to be a part of UAE T20 at its formation," said Glazer, whose family own 74.9 per cent of United.

"UAE T20 promises to be a world-class event that will be transformative to the growth of cricket in the Emirates."

It represents the Glazer's first venture into cricket. The family are already owners of NFL side Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They were thwarted in attempts to join the IPL, after the new franchises in Lucknow and Ahmedabad were bought by the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group and CVC Capital Partners, respectively.

^{The formation of the T20 League swells the UAE's position on the global cricketing landscape (Francois Nel/Getty Images)}

UAE T20 League chairman Khalid Al Zarooni added: “I am very excited to welcome Mr Glazer to the UAE T20 Family. 

"To have a partner who has invested into sports properties with a long-term perspective is a testament to the strength of the UAE T20 League’s business model and its value proposition to fans and its stakeholders, and an ode to the UAE as the destination of choice for global sports events."

Reliance Industries, owners of Mumbai Indians, Shah Rukh Khan, who controls Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals and Sydney Sixers' Kiran Kumar Grandhi are also part of the tournament which is due to get underway during the first quarter of 2022.

Sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board, the UAE T20 League will see six teams play 34 matches. It follows on from the successful Abu Dhabi T10 League which is in the midst of its fifth edition.

The UAE also recently hosted the second half of the 2021 IPL and the men's T20 World Cup.