BENGALURU — When financial services veteran Venky Mysore became CEO of a cricket team that plays competitive matches for barely a few months a year, jokes flew thick and fast about the cushy nature of his new job.

“I used to tell [my friends] that for once, I am on an extended vacation,” said Mysore, who helms the Knight Riders franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), an annual cricketing extravaganza that usually runs sometime between March and May.