PANAJI: The Ultimate Kho Kho (UKK) on Friday welcomed Capri Global and KLO Sports as the owners of Rajasthan and Chennai teams respectively for the inaugural edition of the League set to kick-off in 2022, states a press release.
The KLO Sports-owned team will be known as Chennai Quick Guns while Capri Global’s Rajasthan-based franchise is yet to be named.
KLO Sports is co-owned by passionate sports lovers Sanjay Jupudi and Srinath Chittoori, who are successful business giants in the construction, automobile, and IT sector in India as well as abroad.
The Ultimate Kho Kho had earlier announced the association of corporate giants Adani Group and GMR Group as the owners of Gujarat and Telangana franchises.
India’s first-ever franchise-based Kho-Kho league is promoted by Amit Burman, Chairman of Dabur Group, in collaboration with Kho-Kho Federation of India.
“We are thrilled to welcome KLO Sports and Capri Global to the league’s roster which already has eminent corporate names. With this league, we are committed to bringing in a modern-day professional structure in India that not only will take Kho-Kho to the next level, but also create a spectacle for the fans,” said Ultimate Kho Kho CEO, Tenzing Niyogi.
With deep technology roots, KLO Sports also plans to invest in bringing this indigenous sport to households using their experience.
“Our goal is to help Kho-Kho become a mainstream sport in India. We believe that the franchise has huge potential, and it can bring a rather forgotten sport back into every household. Apart from investing in the grassroots, KLO sports will also invest heavily in building a platform that will engage with fans and will become a role model for all sports franchises,” said Sanjay Jupudi Co-Owner, KLO Sports and founder of Qentelli.
Speaking about their association with Ultimate Kho Kho, Rajesh Sharma, Managing Director of Capri Global, said: “We want to be part of the overall sports ecosystem that promotes homegrown sports and plays the role of an enabler in India’s journey to become a leading sporting nation.”
“Kho-Kho is one of the most accessible sports in the country and is played by a large population at every skill level. Our goal amongst others is to facilitate training at the grassroots level. We are excited to associate with Ultimate Kho Kho from the very beginning. Personally, I am very passionate about sports and truly believe that India has humongous talent, they just need to be nurtured efficiently,” Sharma added.
Capri Global, a Rs. 5,400 Cr (USD 700 Million) net worth Group, has created a niche in financial market, and amongst others, has Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC), Housing Finance Company (HFC). Its NBFC, Capri Global Capital Limited (CGCL) is listed on the BSE and NSE and is part of the NIFTY Smallcap 250 Index. It specialises in serving the underserved segments of MSME and currently has 117 branches spread across 11 States & UT with an employee base of more than 3,200.
Capri Global also possesses a franchise in the International League T20 Tournament (ILT20) promoted by Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), UAE.
Ultimate Kho Kho has also roped in Sony Network India (SPNI) as its broadcast partner with an exclusive multi-year contract, that will see exciting action from the league broadcasted across its sports channels and on the OTT platform SonyLIV in English as well as regional languages.
