Our Bureau
Chennai
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have always shared a special bond with Australia and had players like Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and many more. The association is set to take a new dimension with the launch of Super Kings Academy in Sydney.
This will be the Super Kings Academy’s third international destination following centres in USA (Dallas) and UK (Reading) apart from India.
The Super Kings Academy in Sydney will be located at Cricket Central, 161, Silverwater Road, Sydney Olympic Park.
It will be a state-of-the-art centre with facilities to train outdoors and indoors throughout the year, a CSK release said, adding that cricket coaching for boys and girls will begin in September.
KS Viswanathan, CEO, Chennai Super Kings, said: “We are happy to extend our special journey with Australia, which began with the inception of IPL in 2008.”
Viswanathan said Australia is a champion country with a strong sporting culture and rich cricketing legacy.
He said Super Kings Academy will tap into and help groom cricketers, both boys and girls, adding to the already strong system in the country.
“Geographical boundaries are shrinking rapidly in cricket over the last few years. With a presence in India, USA, UK and now Australia, we have the opportunity to develop the next generation of cricketers through our world-class facilities, strong coaching curriculum, exchange programmes and more.”
Anand Karuppiah, Director, Echelon Sports Management, the franchise partner of Super Kings Academy in Sydney, said that cricket is a common thread between India and Australia.
“We are excited to collaborate and bring Super Kings Academy to Australia. Sydney is a city with rich cricketing history and land of cricket-loving multicultural society. We will do our bit to assist the young talents to fulfil their aspirations and dreams by providing the academy in Sydney. The upcoming cricketers from this region will benefit from the access to Super Kings coaching methodologies and potential exchange opportunities with other Super Kings Academy centres in India, UK and USA,” he said.