NEW DELHI: In a big development, Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma are reportedly poised to step into the high-stakes world of the Indian Premier League as investors.
Media reports suggest that Anushka, wife of Royal Challengers Bengaluru icon Virat Kohli, could become part of the Rs 2,000 crore IPL franchise alongside her Ae Dil Hai Mushkil co-star and close friend Ranbir Kapoor.
According to Miss Malini, the duo's long-standing friendship may now extend beyond the silver screen into a business collaboration, marking a new chapter in their association. However, there has been no official confirmation from either party so far.
Anushka has long been a familiar face at IPL venues, regularly seen cheering from the stands as Kohli turns out for RCB - a presence that has only strengthened the couple's popularity among fans on social media. Ranbir's involvement, however, comes as a surprise, given that he is more often spotted at football matches than cricket grounds.
Couple of days back, Adar Poonawalla, Chief Executive Officer of Pune-based vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India, said he will be tabling a "strong and competitive" bid for the IPL champions.
The effort to find a new owner for RCB, currently valued at around USD 105 million as per Forbes India, began in November last year by current owners United Spirits Ltd (USL), the Indian arm of global beverage major Diageo.
The June 4 stampede that killed 11 fans during RCB victory celebrations also accelerated the move to sell the team.
Praveen Someshwar, Managing Director & CEO of United Spirits Ltd, had said: "RCSPL has been a valuable and strategic asset for USL, however it's non-core to our alcobev business.
"This step reinforces USL's and Diageo's commitment to continue reviewing its India enterprise portfolio to enable sustained delivery of long-term value to all its stakeholders, while keeping RCSPL's best interest in mind."
