After FC Goa, Virat Kohli turns co-owner of IPTL franchise UAE Royals
INDIA BATSMAN and Test captain Virat Kohli has been announced as a co-owner of UAE Royals in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). Former cricketer and Indian team director Ravi Shastri has been named advisor for the upcoming edition.
Kohli, who also owns a football team by the name of FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL), was in Dubai on Thursday for the big announcement. The press conference was attended by Mahesh Bhupathi, Managing Director - IPTL, Neelesh Bhatnagar and Sachin Gadoya, co-owners UAE Royals and Praveen Bhatnagar, CEO of UAE Royals.
“I have always followed tennis with great interest and today I am glad to be part of a professional tennis league team,” said Virat Kohli at the official unveiling of the UAE Royals team for the second season of IPTL 2015.
“I am a huge fan of Roger Federer and with him joining the UAE Royals, my decision to be on board with the team was firm. The UAE Royals feature some of tennis’ greatest players and I am confident about the prospects of the team in the IPTL. I am also excited about the format of the IPTL, which I am sure will drive further interest in the game of tennis.”
The official Twitter account of the UAE Royals was the first to break the news on the microblogging site. An excited Kohli then confirmed the news from his personal Twitter account.
#UAERoyals co-owner @ImViratkohli to unveil team for #IPTL 2 at 11 am on 10th Sep at Hyatt Regency, Dubai.#LiveToWin pic.twitter.com/RDATO5Up9I
— UAE Royals (@UAERoyals) September 9, 2015
The #UAERoyals co-owner has arrived in #UAE & is excited about tomorrow's press conference. Stay tuned for more! pic.twitter.com/y2JDxELVke
— UAE Royals (@UAERoyals) September 9, 2015
Excited to be part of the @iptl Season 2! Hoping my team wins the title. Go @UAERoyals #Co-Owner pic.twitter.com/nernpi6XEk
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 10, 2015
The Royals made their second big announcement of the day, when they revealed this:
The UAE Royals team is finally unveiled. The maestro @rogerfederer is with us this season. We are determined to win the crown. #IPTL2
— UAE Royals (@UAERoyals) September 10, 2015
Roger Federer, who represented the Indian Aces in the inaugural edition last year, will now play for the Royals, under the co-ownership of Kohli.
Here’s what the new co-owner had to say about his association with IPTL and the UAE Royals.
One of Kohli's biggest reasons for his association with the Royals is his fondness for the tennis legend, Federer. The cricketer was also spotted at the Wimbledon this year to witness the Swiss maestro in action.
"I couldn’t miss the opportunity to work closely with him,” exclaims an excited Kohli.
This will be Kohli's second non-cricket venture. Last year, he became the fourth co-owner of the ISL franchise, FC Goa. Apart from these two, the star cricketer also owns a fashion brand called "Wrogn" and a chain of gyms named "Chisel". Earlier this year, the cricketer launched a one-of-a-kind online platform for sports lovers called "sportsconvo.com".
The innovative, team-based, multi-nation tennis league has expanded to five teams for its second edition with the Japan Warriors joining last season’s champions, the Indian Aces, alongside the UAE Royals, the Philippine Mavericks and the Singapore Slammers, in a five-city swing starting on December 2 in Japan and ending at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium for the grand finale on December 20. IPTL 2015 will see the top two teams in the league standings playoff to determine the champion for season two in Singapore.
