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MUMBAI:
Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia.
Can Shilpa Shetty be far behind?
Apparently not. Indian Bollywood actor and Big Brother
winner Shilpa Shetty now has joined the ranks of the top
stars who own a piece of a franchise of the IPL (Indian Premiere
League). She has bought a 12 per cent stake in the 2008 inaugural
IPL winning team Rajasthan Royals.
 Shilpa
Shetty and her partner - UK based business man Raj Kundra
- have invested $16.8 million (Rs 820 million) in the Rajasthan
Royals. That puts the valuation of the franchise at around
$140 million (Rs 6.83 billion), more than double the $67 million
that the owners, Emerging Media, paid for it a little over
a year ago.
Rajasthan
Royals is led by Australian spin legend Shane Warne and has
international stars like South African skipper Graeme Smith
and Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson playing for it.
"I
relate with the Rajasthan Royals because they were the underdogs
last year just like me. It's an honour and a pleasure to be
associated with the Rajasthan Royals," said Shetty.
She
will also play a role in the team's promotional activities
this year and she signaled that there could be a music video
in the pipeline.
Rajasthan
Royals chairman and co-owner Manoj Badale notes that the franchise
has been able to bring a different ethos to the IPL. "Our
aim is now to make the Rajasthan Royals a global brand. Our
fan base has grown rapidly thanks to iconic players like Shane
Warne. We were looking for a partner who would give us a different
level of international presence and also help us exploit commercial
opportunities. We had the benefit of being champions. We had
earlier examined the possibility of an IPO but shelved those
plans in December due to market conditions. We are not looking
to raise more funds."
Kundra
says that investing in the IPL is a long-term proposition.
"I decided last year that I wanted to buy into an IPL
franchise. It was a question of waiting for the right opportunity.
In these difficult times one relies on a proven success formula.
The IPL is just that. The IPL story has been inspirational."
Shetty
now joins the ranks of fellow actress Preity Zinta who owns
the Kings XI Punjab team along with her partner Ness Wadia,
while Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan own the Kolkata Knight
Riders team.
Last
year's matches saw Shah Rukh Khan jumping all over Shoaib
Akhtar; Preity Zinta hugging Yuvraj Singh. Will Shilpa Shetty
do a sizzling number and inspire the Rajasthan Royals to get
onto the winners' podium once again? Going by her winning
habit she well might! Going by Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta's
performance last year she well might not. Who knows? Watch
this space!!!!
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