Reliance to acquire franchise in South Africa's T20 cricket league

New Delhi: Expanding its international footprint in cricket, Reliance Industries Ltd on Wednesday said it will acquire a franchise in Cricket South Africa's upcoming T20 league.

"Based in Cape Town the new franchise will take forward the Mumbai Indians brand and comes close on the heels of acquiring the UAE-based International League T-20 team," the firm said in a statement.

Reliance, the owner of the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise, had previously announced that it will own one of the teams in the UAE T20 League.

The firm has played a crucial role in evolving the sports ecosystem through ownership of cricket franchises, football league in India, sports sponsorship, consultancy, and athlete talent management, and bringing in industry best practices.

Its CSR wing, Reliance Foundation Sports has been leading India's Olympic Movement by providing opportunities to athletes across the country to become champions in multiple sports and also leading India's charge in hosting global sporting events.

Earlier this year, Nita Ambani, wife of company chairman Mukesh Ambani, led a successful bid to host the prestigious International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai in 2023 after a gap of 40 years.

Nita Ambani, Director of Reliance, said, "We are excited to take the Mumbai Indians' brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to South Africa, a nation that loves cricket as much as we do in India!" South Africa, she said, has a strong sporting ecosystem, and it looks forward to exploring the power and potential of this collaboration.

"As we grow MI's global cricketing footprint, we remain committed to spreading joy and cheer through sport," she said.

Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio, said, "With our South African franchise, we now have three T20 teams across three countries. We look forward to leveraging our expertise and depth of knowledge in the cricket ecosystem & brand Mumbai Indians to help build the team and provide fans with some of the best cricketing experiences."