Dubai, Nov 22 : Owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI), and English football club Manchester United will soon own franchises in the upcoming Premier League T20 in UAE.
The inaugural season of the league will most likely take place next year in February-March. Six teams for the league have been sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), and the deals with Mumbai and Kolkata Knight Riders are almost final.

Both KKR and MI owners have had all the discussions with the board and are now waiting for the official announcement.
The ECB had announced the Premier T20 League in August this year. No further information was given at the time, but things have now progressed a lot and the board has decided to start with six teams.
Other franchise owners include Capri Global, who bid recently but failed for an IPL franchise, the Big Bash League’s Sydney Sixers, and Kiran Kumar Grandhi, a co-owner of Delhi Capitals.
An ECB official said, “With all six contracts have been exchanged, and advanced discussions in place. Financial terms have been finalised. The details are being gone through in most instances, with lawyers, advisors and so on.”
The official believes that the formal announcements of the franchise owners will start coming next week. Similarly, the broadcaster of the tournament is expected to be announced.
As per the current information, the league will be played in a double round-robin format with a knockout stage, in which a total of 34 matches will be played. There will be four qualifiers, an eliminator and a final which will be part of the knockout stage.
Currently, no decisions have been made whether the players will be brought in via auction or through the draft system.(UNI)