Former India Under-19 World Cup-winning player Manjot Kalra has become a part-owner of Jaffna Kings ahead of the sixth season of the Lanka Premier League.
Manjot Kalra, star in India’s 2018 U19 WC triumph, takes stake in LPL team
Kalra, who scored an unbeaten century in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup final to help India lift their fourth title, has moved into sports entrepreneurship after his playing career. Based in Delhi, he is also the host of the YouTube podcast Second Innings with Manjot Kalra, where he interviews cricketers and athletes.
Sports Commune, led by Kalra and entrepreneur Mayank Goel, will now oversee the franchise with a focus on youth engagement, sports content, grassroots development and fan outreach across South Asia. Goel, who has interests in cybersecurity, insurance and sports development, has also been involved in organising youth cricket tournaments and participating in corporate cricket leagues.
Welcoming the new ownership, Lanka Premier League director Samantha Dodanwela said, “Sri Lanka Cricket welcomes Sports Commune as the new ownership group of Jaffna Kings for Lanka Premier League Season 6. Jaffna Kings has built a strong identity within the league, and we are pleased to see committed owners with a clear interest in cricket, youth engagement and sports development stepping into the franchise.”
Speaking about the acquisition, Kalra said: “Jaffna Kings is a franchise with a strong cricketing identity and a passionate fan base. For us, this is an opportunity to bring together our experience in cricket, youth engagement, sports content and community building to support the next phase of the team’s journey.”
Kalra made his professional debut for Delhi in 2019, but was later embroiled in an age-fraud controversy. The information provided about his birth year was allegedly false, following which the Delhi police investigated the case. The chargesheet filed by the police in court claimed that Kalra was actually a year older than claimed, which made him ineligible to take part in the Under-19 World Cup in the first place. It kept his domestic outings down to just three appearances, the last of which was in 2021.
The sixth season of the LPL will begin on July 10, with the final scheduled for August 5.
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