IRISH cricket is set for an enormous windfall from an unexpected group of billionaire backers.

The reclusive Mistry family, which controls the largest shareholding in the holding company of India’s $100billion Tata Group, have agreed to fund the Cricket Ireland Academy for ten years in a deal worth €2.5million.

Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, 82, with his sons, will stump up €500,000 up front and then fund the training of future Irish cricketers to the tune of €200,000 a year until 2024.

Mistry gave up his Indian citizenship in 2003 to obtain Irish citizenship, because India does not yet allow dual citizenship.

Mistry is married to an Irishwoman, Patsy Perin Dubash, who was born in September 1939 in Hatch Street in Dublin. They live mainly in Mumbai.

His personal wealth is estimated at $15.5billion by Forbes and he controls a huge construction empire throughout the Middle East, India and Africa.

The cash injection will be a huge boost to Cricket Ireland as it builds on its successes in recent years.

The deal is set to be announced in Trinity College today when Irish star batsman Kevin O’Brien and Under 19 captain Jack Tector will unveil the new sponsor.

O’Brien scored the fastest World Cup century ever in 2011 when Ireland bear England in Bangalore, India.

The Mistry family are Parsis, members of the ancientZoroastrian religion. The family holds an 18.5% stake in Tata which has divisions dealing in construction, cement, property, energy, chemicals, airlines, tea, hotels and heavy industry.

They have built some of India’s most famous modern buildings, including the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers and Oberoi Hotel, which were attacked by terrorists in 2006.

Mr Mistry has bowed out of many of his posts in recent years and handed over to his sons Shapoor and Cyrus.

Cyrus, 46, is chairman of the Tata Group and the Economist magazine has described him as “the most important industrialist” in both India and Britain.

The family have extensive interests in sport, owning a 200-acre stud farm in Pune in India. Irish jockey Richard Hughes has ridden several winners in India for the Mistry family.