Sky Sports snaps up rights for MCL 2016

Sky Sports has acquired the UK rights for the inaugural Masters Champions League (MCL), which kicks off this week in UAE.

Masters Champions League is set up by Pakistan-born Zafar Shah. Six teams will take part in the tournament led by an Icon Player and each team has been named after zodiac signs, such as Libra, Gemini, Sagittarius, Virgo, Capricorn and Leo.

The first MCL match has been scheduled with two former teammates, Sourav Ganguly from Libra Legends and Virender Sehwag from Gemini Arabians, leading their teams to play against each other at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS). Iconic players like Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Adam Gilchrist, Paul Collingwood, Brett Lee, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara among others have also been drafted in the MCL teams . The final match of the MCL will also be staged at the DICS on 13th February 2016.

Sony Networks Pictures holds the India television rights for the series. In Pakistan, the rights have been sold to PTV, while SuperSport will provide coverage in Africa and Ten Sports holds the rights for the Middle East region.

Masters Champions League 2016 will air on Sky Sports digital platforms including Sky Sports website, Sky Sports Xtra, mobile app and tablet devices. This is not be being broadcast on television.