Reliance Industries Limited, the owner of five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians, has unveiled the names of two franchises – one based out of South Africa and the other out of the UAE. As franchise cricket grows at a fast pace, the organization is leaving no stones unturned to expand its global foothold. 

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Last year, they completed the acquisition of a franchise in the newly-announced UAE’s T20 League. Known as the International League T20 (ILT20), the inaugural edition of the tournament will take place next year in January. To keep the identity of Mumbai Indians intact, the RIL has named their new franchise MI Emirates. 

In a similar vein, their South African franchise will be called MI Cape Town. The South African League, to be held under the aegis of Cricket South Africa (CSA), will also start next year.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome ‘MI Emirates’ and ‘MI Cape Town’, the newest additions to our #OneFamily. For us, MI goes beyond cricket. It embodies the ability to dream, be fearless and foster a positive attitude in life,” said Nita Ambani, the director of RIL.

None of the fans are pleased with these names. For a franchise that wants to go global, many think the tag “Indians” sounds weird and restrictive. They have a point as these teams are not going to compete in the domestic league of our nation. 

Taking a dig at the franchise, the Caribbean Cricket Podcast wrote, “If we ever get labeled ‘Mumbai Indians Jamaica Tallawahs’ I’ll be done with this silly sport. Let us be useless in peace.”

Another user commented, “Mumbai Indians has to be the worst name of any t20 franchisee worldwide, now they added two more with the same name, Mumbai Indians Cape Town’ and ‘Mumbai Indians Emirates.”

Lead Image: Mumbai Indians/Twitter