The owners of Manchester United football club, a Big Bash League (BBL) team, and three franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have joined the newly-introduced Emirates T20 League, Times of India reported.

The franchises of the six-team tournament that will kick off next year are owned by the Glazer family of Man United, the owners of Sydney Sixers (BBL), Shah Rukh Khan of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Ambani family of Mumbai Indians, GMR Group of Delhi Capitals, and a financial services company Capri Global.

The league, run by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), was initially proposed in 2019 but was pushed back by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it is now expected to commence early next year, tentatively in January.

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The report suggests that the ECB is close to signing a broadcast deal soon, after which the schedule for the drafts and the league will be finalised.

“January 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 have seen in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup,” said an industry expert tracking developments.

As per Times of India, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were also interested in the league initially, however, they backed out at the last moment, to be filled in by Delhi Capitals.

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Meanwhile, the Glazers and the Capri Global had both submitted bids for the recently-auctioned two IPL franchises, but fell short by “a few hundred crores.”

The ‘desert league’ as one organiser called it, will work on a unique business model that will see “franchises invest on an annual basis and work on substantial returns as part of sponsorship and broadcast deals”, according to TOI.