Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is reportedly looking to buy stakes in an IPL franchise and has closed-in on Rajasthan Royals, according to Times of India.
“Yes, Abhishek (Bachchan) met Manoj Badale in London some time ago,” Ramesh Pulapaka, CEO of AB Corp, was quoted as saying by The Times of India. Badale is the principal owner of Rajasthan Royals and according to reports last week, the franchise was looking to sell fifty percent of its stakes.
Royals won the first edition of Indian Premier League back in 2008 under the stewardship of legendary Shane Warne. However, their reputation took a beating back in 2013 when three cricketers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested on charges of spot-fixing and the franchise was subsequently banned for two years by the Supreme Court-appointed committee. That controversy also saw Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra being forced to let go of their stakes in the franchise after Kundra was caught placing bets on IPL matches.
Amitabh Bachchan’s son Abhishek is closely involved in two other domestic sports leagues, owning Pro Kabaddi League franchise Jaipur Pink Panthers and also shares in Indian Super League franchise Chennaiyin FC.
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