The owners of the Delhi Daredevils are said to be interested in owning a franchise that will feature in the inaugural T20 Global Destination League.

The interest from the Bangalore-based GMR Group comes as a timely boost for the league, after the owners of the Lahore Qalandars had previously expressed interest in investing in the tournament, but subsequently opted out.

‘Cricket South Africa were asking for R50-million for 10 years, for bigger cities like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban – and 30 million over the same period for smaller towns.

‘This with absolutely no financial forecasts, no television deal, nothing concrete around financial forecasting – and no clarity around player quotas,’ a source told KweséESPN.

‘Lahore’s owners are smart businessmen – and simply could not go ahead with this ambiguity attached to such a big ask. They have not put in a bid. The Daredevils have, despite not knowing much information,’ they added.

The Daredevils have had a number of South African players on its payroll, most recently, Proteas duo Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada.

The investment by GMR will add to the International appeal that the tournament has already garnered, with international stars such as Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen already committed to the event.

The CSA Global Destination T20 League will begin on 4 November and the final is scheduled for December 16.