The chief executive of the 2015 Hero CPL winners the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL says franchise cricket is here to stay.
The Red Steel won the third CPL in stunning style at the Queen's Park Oval in July, just weeks after Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan had acquired them.
And now Venky Mysore, who is CEO at both the Red Steel and KKR, has praised the Caribbean Premier League and the format of the tournament.
"It's only going to get bigger. We'll work hard to make that happen" - Venky Mysore
"It's been a brilliant tournament, I must say," he told CPLT20.com. "I've been lucky enough to go to not only Trinidad but also St Lucia, Barbados and Guyana. And wherever you went, it's obvious that the crowds have latched on to their teams.
"There is a strong affinity to franchise sports, that's obvious. The fans have been showing up in large numbers, wearing the team colours and getting behind their teams.
"[Barbados Tridents captain] Kieron Pollard did something in Trinidad without bowling a ball and they booed him! And he's from Trinidad!
"It just shows that franchise sport has come and it's here to stay, it's going to get only bigger.
"People like us who are involved with the franchise, we're going to work very hard to make this even bigger and work with the league to make sure that happens."
Mysore also hailed the Trini Posse for their superb support as the Red Steel won the competition on home soil, and revealed that Khan was overjoyed at the Red Steel's success, even though the 49-year-old was unable to attend the finals as he was filming in Bulgaria.
"It's a great thrill for Shah and I know he's over the moon" - Venky Mysore
"It's just been brilliant, the whole support. To play a big final like that in Trinidad was amazing, and Barbados were extremely competitive, we were anxious right until the end," he added.
"It's fairytale season, you can say that. We came in [just before the CPL], and it sounded like the right thing for us to do in terms of a fit, and it's just been brilliant, so we'll keep going from here.
"Shah called straight away [after the Red Steel's victory] and I got him to speak with [Dwayne] Bravo and with the Prime Minister [of T&T] and with the tourism minister.
"He tweeted saying 'I wish I was there, I'm dancing alone in my hotel room!'
"But what the heck, he says, bring it on - KKR, T&T, every franchise we've had a chance to work with has excelled, so it's a great thrill for him and I know he's over the moon."
