Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders group to build world-class cricket stadium in USA

Shah Rukh Khan's Knight Riders group and MLC will develop a cricket stadium in the USA. It will be constructed in Los Angeles, which would also help in cricket being included in the 2028 Olympics.

In what comes as a piece of unique news, the Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan-owned Knight Riders Group plans to construct a cricket stadium in the United States of America (USA). It would do so in association with the Major League Cricket (MLC), backed by the USA Cricket. Knight Riders is one of the investors in the MLC and aims to develop a stadium in Los Angeles.

As per ESPNCricinfo, Great Park in Irvine city has been identified as the ideal location for the venue, which would have a capacity of around 10,000 spectators. The site will be 40 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, in Orange County. Meanwhile, an MLC source has stated that the project would cost around $30 million.

The project is yet to be approved, while upon being done so, it will race against time to be constructed to host some of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 matches, co-hosted by West Indies and the USA. However, it will be ready in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as cricket is being pushed to be a part of the global event. Meanwhile, the Southern California franchise will have the venue as its home ground for MLC.

"Our investment in MLC in America is based on our belief in the exciting future of cricket in the USA and is well-aligned to our strategy of establishing Knight Riders as a global brand in T20 cricket. Plans to build a world-class cricket stadium in the greater Los Angeles area are exciting for us and MLC. It will undoubtedly have a transformational impact for cricket in one of the world's most iconic metropolitan destinations," SRK said in an MLC release.

"MLC is committed to building outstanding infrastructure for cricket in key markets accessible to legions of cricket-loving fans. We're grateful to the City of Irvine for agreeing to explore this development in the heart of Orange County. Great Park's position as a hub for community recreation and its array of first-class sports facilities makes it an ideal location for the addition of a venue serving the local cricket-loving community and the broader Greater Los Angeles region with major international cricket events set to take place there," concluded MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan.