Avram Glazer has been focusing his time on his new venture into franchise cricket in Dubai amid reports he is braced for takeover bids for Manchester United.
Maligned co-chairman Avram and brother Joel Glazer put United up for sale last November, giving supporters hope that their tumultuous ownership could finally come to an end after their contentious leveraged takeover in 2005.
And the American tycoons are hoping to generate a bidding war between possible buyers after stating they were exploring "new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions".
But while interested parties plot their bids, Glazer has been out in the Middle East enjoying the rewards of his significant investment in a T20 team in the new International League tournament.
Glazer, seldom seen at United's Old Trafford home since his derided takeover 18 years ago, is in Dubai this week to watch his Desert Vipers team in the inaugural United Arab Emirates competition.
He had missed out on acquiring two IPL teams before his holding company Lancer Capital was confirmed to have taken control of the Vipers franchise on December 1, 2021. And Glazer, also co-owner of NFL franchise Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has invested to make the expansion of his sporting portfolio a successful one.
The Vipers are into the play-offs of the inaugural league and have been spearheaded by in-form England batter Alex Hales. Glazer's team, also including stars of England's one day sides such as Sam Billings, Tom Curran and Tymal Mills, will face the Gulf Giants on Wednesday.
And Glazer has leaned on former CEO of cricket analytics company CricViz Phil Oliver for a data-led approach into building a competitive side.
“He was certainly familiar with cricket,” Oliver told the Telegraph when asked about his first meeting with Glazer. "[The meeting] started with the cricket really, which was almost reassuring for me that that’s the most important thing – getting a good team on the field. Everything else can fall in place around that, but your focus has got to be the cricket performance.”
Oliver, who was appointed Vipers chief executive by Lancer Capital soon after his meeting with Glazer, insists there is no connection with the cricket franchise to United, despite the striking resemblance with the red shirts to the club's traditional colours.
“There isn’t a United link,” Oliver said. “The only link is an element of common ownership through Avram Glazer being the chairman of Lancer Capital.”
Glazer has shown clear interest in his venture into cricket, but his new investment project will be viewed as flagrant by United fans who have long protested against his perceived neglect towards their venerable club.
