Salman Khan bats for IPL team ownership

Actor Salman Khan has evinced interest in owning an Indian Premier League (IPL) team. The actor met Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner

of IPL in Mumbai on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of buying one of the two new teams to be added to the tournament in the fourth season that will start in 2011.

“Salman Khan has been interested in owning an IPL team for a while now. We met to discuss the details,” Mr Modi confirmed to mediapersons on the sidelines of the IPL franchise owners’ workshop.

The Mukesh Ambani-owned Mumbai Indians has so far been the most expensive acquisition at $112 million. Earlier this year, Raj Kundra, an NRI entrepreneur and his partner Shilpa Shetty, acquired a 11.7% stake in the Jaipur franchise of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals, for $16.39 million valuing the franchise at $140 million. The IPL, so far, has not yet decided which cities will be added, though names like Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Vishakhaptanam are doing the rounds. The city that gets the highest bidder will be the new IPL team.

Apart from Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt are also reportedly interested in owning IPL teams. The request for proposal and tender for the two new teams will be floated by December and the auction will take place in January 2010. This is done to give the new owners enough time to set up a team and participate in the auction for IPL 4 for the new players.