RIL announces acquisition of franchise in Cricket South Africa’s T20 league 

Mukesh Ambani-backed oil to telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL) has announced the acquisition of a franchise in Cricket South Africa’s T20 league. The new franchise, based in Cape Town, will take forward the Mumbai Indians brand, as per a media release.   

Commenting on the announcement, RIL Director Nita Ambani said, “We are excited to take the Mumbai Indians’ brand of fearless and entertaining cricket to South Africa, a nation that loves cricket as much as we do in India! South Africa has a strong sporting ecosystem, and we look forward to exploring the power and potential of this collaboration. As we grow MI’s global cricketing footprint, we remain committed to spreading joy and cheer through sport!” 

Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani noted, “With our South African franchise, we now have three T20 teams across three countries. We look forward to leveraging our expertise and depth of knowledge in the crickert ecosystem and brand Mumbai Indians to help build the team and provide fans with some of the best cricketing experiences.” 

This, however, is not RIL’s first initiative in the world of sports. RIL’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) wing Reliance Foundation Sports has heralded India’s Olympic Movement by providing opportunities to athletes and has also helped in hosting global sporting events. Earlier this year, Nita Ambani led the bid to host the International Olympic Committee Session in Mumbai in 2023.