UK businessman buys KPL’s Mirpur Royals franchise

LONDON: A British businessman has bought the Mirpur Royals franchise to play in the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) as a tribute to Britain’s Kashmiri community, most of which traces its roots back to Mirpur in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Raja Suleman Raza, the president and co-owner of the Mirpur Royals team, said he decided to buy Mirpur Royals because more than a million Kashmiris live in Britain and the city of Mirpur is also known as Lit Mirpuris in Britain are among the most distinct ethnic groups, known for their unique language and culture and the role people from Mirpur have played in the last 50 years, he said. Raza said Mirpur’s connection with Britain has made it a distinctive place and “residing in the UK, the real ambition to acquire the Mirpur Royals in the KPL was not only to strengthen this bond and relationship between both countries but to promote sports and cricket and offer an exciting platform to the young and aspiring sportsmen and women in Kashmir”.

Speaking to The News, Raza said his decision to acquire the franchise was driven by his desire to work for the betterment of Kashmir and to put the name of Mirpur and Kashmir on the global map.

“After the KPL was announced, hundreds of people from Mirpur in the UK asked me that I should buy the Mirpur Royals and create its connection with the biggest Mirpuri community outside of Mirpur. The people of Mirpur take immense pride in their culture and their origin and they want to celebrate it through soft power such as sports. Over the decades and through three generations the people of Mirpur have preserved their culture,” he said. Raza said introducing the game of cricket to Kashmir will open up doors of economic opportunities for the people of Kashmir and it will prove to be a shot in the arm for the prosperity of the region.

Through Mirpur Royals, said the co-owner, a brand will be created that the people of Mirpur and Kashmir will take pride in and own it for the immense value attached to the name and what it stands for.

He highlighted that the Mirpur Royals were the first team in the KPL to sign Kashmiri player Salman Irshad as a demonstration of the commitment to promoting genuine Kashmiri talent.