Mumbai: Two former cricket captains, Bollywood stars and some of the top Indian businessmen Sunday bagged the franchise rights for the eight-city inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) football tournament that will be played during September-November.
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Guwahati, Kochi, Pune and Goa are the eight cities which were sold by ISL's promoters IMG-Reliance. The league, which has the blessings of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), will see some of the semi-retired international stars playing alongside Indian footballers.
The following is the list of successful bidders for ISL franchises.
Bangalore:
Sun Group: Chennai-based Sun Group is an Indian conglomerate. Sun Group's Sun TV Network is one of the largest media networks in India. The group is also present in the aviation business with SpiceJet and also owns IPL cricket team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Delhi:
DEN Network: Led by chairman and managing director Sameer Manchanda, DEN is India's largest cable TV distribution company serving 13 million homes in over 200 cities. Based in Delhi, DEN is a frontrunner of digitisation of Indian cable TV.
Goa:
A congolomerate involving Videcon Group, Dattarao Salgaocar and Dempo.
Dattaraj Salgaocar: His company has diverse interests in Mining, Hospitality, and Shipping. It exports over 4 million tonnes of Iron Ore every year. The company also runs the Goa Marriott and Hotel La Plaz Gardens in Goa. He is also the brother-in-law of Reliance boss Mukesh Ambani.
Dempo: Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from Goa. Shrinivas Dempo is the chairman of Dempo Group. They are also the owners of highly successful I-League side Dempo Sports Club.
Videocon Group: The group is a $5 billion global conglomerate with a diversified set of products ranging from handsets, D2H, Electronic Appliance etc. The group has 17 manufacturing sites in India and plants in Mainland China, Poland, Italy and Mexico.
Guwahati:
Jointly owned by I-League side Shillong Lajong and Bollywood actor-producer John Abraham.
John Abraham: John Abraham is an established Bollywood actor, producer and former model. Known for his obsession for football, bikes and fitness, John is an avid follower of football and sports in general. He has bought a stake in Delhi team of Hockey India League (HIL).
Shillong Lajong: Shillong Lajong is an I-league team based in Shillong. It was established in the year 1983. It was promoted to the 1st division of the I-League in the 2009-10 season.
Kochi
Th Kochi franchise has been bagged by India's cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar an PVP Ventures.
PVP: It is is one of the largest investors of the country in media and entertainment industry and is listed on the BSE and the NSE. Prasad V Potluri, the known serial entrepreneur in the global outsourcing services space is the chairman and managing director of PVP Ventures. PVP also owns IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderbad.
Sachin Tendulkar: The batting maestro and a world renowned personality, also known as the god amongst his global fan base. He will be associated with the team as its brand ambassador.
Kolkata
The Kolkata franchise has been bagged by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh and Spanish premier league side Atletico Madrid.
Sourav Ganguly: He is one of the most successful India captains. Currently, a cricket commentator, Ganguly is regarded as one of India's most successful cricketer in modern times. He is the fifth highest run scorer in ODIs and was the third person in history to cross the 10,000 run landmark. In 2002, the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ranked him the sixth greatest ODI batsman of all time.
Atletico Madrid: The Madrid club is hogging the limelight this season for making the semi-finals of the Champions League. They have been La Liga champions on nine occasions and is the third most supported club in Spain.
Harshavardhan Neotia: Harshavardhan Neotia of Ambuja Neotia Group is one of the most prominent and respected businessman in India. The corporate houses headquartered in Kolkata has its forte in real estate and recent forays into hospitality, healthcare and education. The group also owns the Bhagiarthi Neotia Woman & Child Care Centre in Kolkata.
Sanjiv Goenka: He owns the highly successful Sanjiv Goenka Group in Kolkata that has interests in power, retail, media and entertainment, information technology and entertainment.
Utsav Parekh: Utsav Parekh has been non-executive-non-independent chairman at SMIFS Capital Markets Ltd. since April 1, 2009. Parekh has about 25 years of in-depth experience in merchant banking and financial services. Parekh's son is married to the daughter of AIFF president and Union minister Praful Patel.
Mumbai
Bollywood hearthrob Ranbir Kapoor has tied up with investment banker Bimal Parekh to clinch the Mumbai franchise.
Ranbir Kapoor: He is one of the leading Indian film actor of the current generation. Kapoor is the son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, and the grandson of actor-director Raj Kapoor. He began his career in Bollywood as an assistant director on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 2005 film Black and later turned actor to give many a hit movies year on year. He is a keen follower of football and an avid fan of FC Barcelona.
Bimal Parekh: He is a renowned chartered accountant from Mumbai and manages the investment of some of the top celebrities like Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif.
Pune:
Salman Khan and the Wadhawan Group will own the Pune franchise.
Salman Khan: He is one of the most bankable Bollywood star and has given a series of Rs.100 crore hits in the last few years. Besides being an actor, Salman has also donned the hats of producer, television presenter and philanthropist. He is the promoter of Being Human Foundation.
Wadhawan Group: Kapil Wadhawan is the chairman and Dheeraj Wadhawan is the vice-chairman of the Rajesh Wadhawan Group. It has diverse business interests including financial services, food retail, hospitality, education and real estate.
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