Cricket arrives in US as Indian Americans, billionaire replicate IPL
Anurag Jain has loved cricket his entire life, but after learning how much players made he ditched his dream of making a career of it and ultimately went into business. These days he’s the managing partner of Perot Jain, a venture capital firm he co-founded with Texas billionaire Ross Perot Jr. If things go to plan, Jain could have a far greater impact on the game than he ever could with a bat and ball. Jain is part-owner with Perot of the Texas Super Kings, a team created this year based in Dallas. On Thursday evening, Jain’s team, which is also backed by India’s Chennai Super Kings, will host the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket’s first game in the US.
Jain is part of a group including influential Indian-born business people bringing the world’s second-most popular game to US audiences. Major League Cricket has also attracted Adobe Inc. CEO Shantanu Narayen and Microsoft Corp.’s Satya Nadella, who has a piece of Seattle’s professional team, the Orcas.
Bollywood’s most famous actor Shah Rukh Khan, meanwhile, is investing in a cricket stadium near Los Angeles for the league. “My vested interest was to bring cricket right into the heart of America," Jain said in an interview. “I see a lot of cricket being played one off, club level, league level, at the local levels.
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