Abdul Rahman Bukhatir

Abdul Rahman Bukhatir is an Emirati businessman, media entrepreneur, and cricket administrator. He is the founder of the Bukhatir Group which has business interests in construction, education, information technology, real estate, shopping, sports, and leisure sectors.^[1][2] He also founded the sports TV channel Ten Sports.^[3][2] He is known as the Kerry Packer of the Gulf region.^[4][5][6] He was the founder of Cricketers Benefit Fund Series, which aimed to benefit retired cricketers from the Indian subcontinent.^[7][6][8] He is the father of Nasheed singer Ahmed Bukhatir.

Abdul Rahman Bukhatir
Nationality	Emirati
Occupation(s)	Businessman, media entrepreneur, and cricket administrator

Early life

Abdul Rahman Bukhatir was born in an Arab family.^[9][10] Bukhatir studied at BVS Parsi School in Karachi, Pakistan.^[9] While studying, he was introduced to cricket by his neighbours in Karachi.^[4][10] When he came back to the UAE, he got a few like-minded people together and started playing cricket on matting wickets.^[11][10]

Career

Cricket patron

He transformed the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, from a stadium in the desert to one of the historic Guinness World Records-holder cricket grounds.^[12][6] In 1981, he organised a cricket match between Gavaskar XI and Miandad XI.^[6][10]

He helped set up the Al Dhaid Cricket Village.^[13] He also served as the chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board.^[14]

Media

In January 2001, Bukhatir founded Taj Television Ltd in Dubai.^[2]The company launched the TV channel TEN Sports (as part of its Taj Entertainment Network), dedicated to sports on 1 April 2002.^[15][16] Zee Telefilms (Essel Group) bought 50 per cent stake in TEN Sports at an enterprise value of $114 million (₹800 crores) in 2006 and completely acquired it in 2010.^[17]

Awards

In February 2018, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award category in the Shyam Bhatia Annual Awards.^[13]

References

1. "Founder and President - Abdul Rahman Bukhatir". Bukhatir Group. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
2. "Who owns Ten Sports?". Rediff.com. 16 March 2004. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
3. "Importance of TV production and cricket commentary". Dawn. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
4. "The cricket scene is here: Abdul Rahman Bukhatir". India Today. 31 May 1990. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
5. Borkakoty, Rituraj (3 November 2021). "Meet the Kerry Packer of the Arabian Gulf". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
6. Laha, Somshuvra (17 September 2020). "Back to Sharjah, home of rivalries and controversy". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
7. "Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, the man behind cricket in Sharjah". Sportstar. 27 November 1993. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
8. "Abdul Rehman Bukhatir wants to resume rewarding players with big purses". Mid-day. 15 August 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
9. Memon, Ayaz (7 October 2020). "The rise and fall of Sharjah, Cricket's el Dorado". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
10. Radley, Paul (28 October 2021). "T20 World Cup: The football-mad son helping deliver his father's cricket dreams in Sharjah". The National. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
11. Radley, Paul (30 August 2022). "'It was way beyond time that we set this up' – How Sharjah helped create Asia Cup". The National. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
12. "Man with a mission who changed UAE into a cricket oasis | Cricket – Gulf News". Gulfnews.com. 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
13. K. R., Nayar (27 February 2018). "Bukhatir to receive Lifetime Achievement award". Gulf News. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
14. "Bukhatir defends the reputation of UAE venues | Cricket – Gulf News". Gulfnews.com. 2005-05-04. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
15. Chakraborty, Alokananda (26 March 2002). "TEN Sports to hit airwaves on April 1". afaqs!. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
16. "Ten Sports launching 1 April". Indiantelevision.com. 25 March 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
17. Malvania, Urvi (2016-09-01). "ZEE sells Ten Sports to Sony for $385 mn". Business Standard. Retrieved 2022-10-22.