Delhi Capitals reps in Sydney for tie-up talks with Cricket NSW

Delhi Capitals' journey toward globalising their brand seems to be reaching deep down the southern hemisphere too. Having already acquired teams in the UAE, USA, South Africa, and England, the next destination for Delhi Capitals – one of the founding franchises of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – appears to be Australia. Delhi Capitals will now have presence on both sides of the Atlantis as well as both the hemispheres.

Formal discussions with Cricket New South Wales (CNSW) authorities regarding a potential collaboration are expected to take place in the coming days, possibly as early as Sunday itself, on the sidelines of the ongoing India-Australia Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). A couple of GMR officials, part-owners of the Delhi Capitals franchise, are already in Sydney to lay the groundwork for the negotiations, which will be advanced by Kiran Kumar Grandhi, owner of the GMR Group.

GMR representatives were spotted at the SCG on Saturday, and Grandhi is expected to visit the venue during the third day's play. It remains unclear what CNSW has to offer an IPL franchise or what the focus of the negotiations will be for a potential collaboration as Cricket Australia (CA) has stayed away from any plans of privatising the Big Bash League (BBL).

CNSW has an office in the Silverwater area of Sydney, as well as its high-performance centre and a ground, collectively known as Cricket Central. It is likely that the GMR Group could establish a partnership for the use of these facilities. The GMR Group has been on an acquisition spree of late, having famously acquired the historic Hampshire County in England, associated with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently.