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KKR co-owner: Everyone in India is cricket expert

Jay Mehta revealed that he was amazed by the number of advisors that popped up on his phone in relation to cricket, coming to an conclusion that friends, family, acquaintances, everybody in India is an expert on cricket.

© AFP
Jay Mehta co-owns KKR along with wife Juhi Chawla  © AFP

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Jay Mehta who is a group director in Mehta Group, hardly ever comes out in the media has now finally spoken at a CII summit, which focuses on both sports and entertainment. KKR was picked up in the inaugural season of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2007, by bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan in collaboration with Jay Mehta and Juhi Chawla. Mehta in the recent event spoke about his experience and learning as a team owner. Mehta said that his first understanding as a team owner what that he felt that every Indian is a cricket expert.

As quoted by economictimes.com Mehta said, “I was actually quite amazed by the number of advisors that popped up — friends, family, acquaintances, everybody is an expert on cricket,” Mehta said. But not much has changed since. “This happens even today.  During matches, I get WhatsApp messages asking why we dropped this player or why we didn’t pick another. It really amuses me,” Mehta said. From not knowing anything about the business of sports to running one of the most successful and popular franchises in the league, is a long way indeed.

Talking about IPL, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has revealed that brand is worth $ 4.5 billion, or INR 27,000 crore. The board, in its annual report for the year 2015-16, has mentioned that this huge figure for the cash-rich T20 tournament, was calculated by valuation appraisal firm Duff and Phelps. ”According to the Broadcast Audience Research Council of India, the total TV viewership of IPL 2016 calculated by impressions stood at 102 crores. A report by management consultancy firm KPMG puts the total impact of IPL 2015 on the Indian economy at Rs 1,150 crore, more than 0.6 % of the country’s GDP,” says the report.

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