A star Bollywood couple has added to the razzle-dazzle of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after they showed interest in buying one of the two new T20 teams.
Media reports quoting well-placed sources said actors, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, could end up owing a team with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United.
Adani Group and the RP-Sanjeev Goenka Groups are no more the ‘favorites’ to walk away with the new teams, media reports said. There are some serious bidders willing to spend money on the world’s most lucrative T20 cricket league, a top official involved with the bidding process told Outlook.
IPL and Bollywood have always had a great connection. Kolkata Knight Riders continue to be co-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla while Preity Zinta has stakes in Punjab Kings.
Deepika’s father Prakash Padukone is a former All England badminton champion. Ranveer has been involved with the English Premier League and is currently the brand ambassador of the world’s most popular basketball league, the NBA, media reports said.
Apart from the Adanis and the RP-Sanjeev Goenka Group, the Glazer family, the owners of English Premier League giants Manchester United, have shown interest in the IPL teams.
It is learnt that Manchester United are being backed by a corporate behemoth in India. According to a report in March this year, Manchester United’s net debt increased to 455 million Great Britain Pounds due to a sharp fall in gate receipts due to COVID.
Among those who have picked up bids include Torrent Pharma and Aurobindo Pharma. A Singapore-based private equity firm and US-based venture capitalists have also shown interest. Naveen Jindal (Jindal Power and Steel) and entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvala are also keen.
The results will be declared in Dubai on October 25, a day after the T20 World Cup blockbuster between India vs Pakistan.
