Darren Sammy-led Zouks finished second to last in the 2019 season, with just three wins and six defeats © Getty

KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, the owners of Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, has purchased the Caribbean Premier League team St Lucia Zouks.

KPH thereby become the second group of IPL owners to currently own a CPL team as well, along with Red Chillies Entertainment who own both the Knight Riders'franchise - Kolkata in the IPL and Trinbago in the Caribbean competition. Previously, Vijay Mallya had also owned a CPL team - Barbados Tridents - besides the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

"We are excited at the opportunity to invest in one of the most exciting sporting tournaments in the world, and we have been impressed by the vibrancy of CPL over the last seven years," said Mohit Burman, Zouks' new co-owners. "We visualise taking the franchise to the next level and showcasing St Lucia in the best possible light over the coming years."

Zouks were a last-minute call-up to replace the barred St Lucia Stars in CPL last season. In the days leading up to the 2019 edition of the tournament, CPL Limited terminated the Stars' participation agreement on August 7 and brought back the Zouks, as the team had initially been known before being purchased by the Royal Sports Club, LLC in 2016.

Darren Sammy-led Zouks finished second to last in the 2019 season, with just three wins and six defeats.

The 2020 edition of the CPL is due to begin on August 19, with the final scheduled for September 26.