Actor Salman Khan may be the next star to own an Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
He met IPL chairman Lalit Modi on Wednesday and expressed interest in bidding for a team for the event’s 2011 edition, which will see the addition of two more franchises.
Khan and Modi were at a
meeting between the IPL governing council and its eight franchises. “Salman came in during the break along with some friends,” Niranjan Shah, IPL governing council’s vice-president, told HT. “They [Khan and his friends] made inquiries about buying a team.”
If he makes a successful bid, Khan will join an impressive list of Bollywood stars who own IPL teams. While rival Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla have a share in Kolkata Knight Riders, Preity Zinta has invested in King’s XI Punjab and Shilpa Shetty in Rajasthan Royals.
Modi confirmed that Khan discussed the procedure to buy a team. “He was interested to know what it takes to own a team, what’s the process, when it’ll be initiated and what’s the timeline for it,” Modi said. “I think he’s a serious buyer.”
The IPL chairman said other Bollywood stars have also expressed interest. Rumours are that Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan are among them.
The cost of a franchise could be $250 million (about Rs. 1,217 crore), Shah said.
The bidding process for the additional teams will begin after the 2010 edition, when players’ contracts end.
Khan was unavailable for comment.