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. He also founded the sports TV channel Ten Sports. He is known as the Kerry Packer of the Gulf region. He was the founder of Cricketers Benefit Fund Series, which aimed to benefit retired cricketers from the Indian subcontinent. He is the father of Nasheed singer Ahmed Bukhatir and famous Quran reciter Salah Bukhatir.
Early life
Abdul Rahman Bukhatir was born in an Arab family. Bukhatir studied at BVS Parsi School in Karachi, Pakistan. While studying, he was introduced to cricket by his neighbours in Karachi. When he came back to the UAE, he got a few like-minded people together and started playing cricket on matting wickets.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. In 1981, he organised a cricket match between Gavaskar XI and Miandad XI.He helped set up the Al Dhaid Cricket Village. He also served as the chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board.