"It is our responsibility to expand the game."
To succeed, sports teams require a strong leader and supportive collaborators.
Under the shining chandeliers of Bollywood, film is normally the art that dazzles and captivates the hearts of the audience.
However, some of our favourite stars have also ventured into the sports world.
Many Indian film stars are the proud owners of various sports teams.
Ranging from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the Indian Super League (ISL), these teams know how to conquer and rule in their respective sports.
They set the stadium ablaze and as a result, millions of sports enthusiasts lose their voices cheering for them.
Paying tribute to those who depict enormous talent on the pitch as well as onscreen, DESIblitz curates a list of eight Bollywood stars who own sports teams.
Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan is the heartthrob of millions of fans.
The actor has reigned supreme in Bollywood for over 30 years. However, during this time, he has also led one of India’s most famous cricket teams.
Within the IPL, SRK helms the prestigious Kolkata Knight Riders.
SRK co-owns the Kolkata Knight Riders, which was founded on January 24, 2008.
KKR won the 2012 IPL, defeating the Chennai Super Kings.
They won the IPL for a second time in 2014, triumphing over the team then known as Kings XI Punjab.
Ahead of the 2024 IPL, SRK delved into Gautam Gambhir’s return to the team:
“He’s trying to free him up a bit. Gambhir has been with us for eight years, and God willing, for the next 20 years.
“The great thing about Gautam Gambhir being back with us is that I never felt like he left us.
“You know, there are some friendships that remain intact no matter what.
“Whether he’s in our team or mentoring someone else, there’s never any animosity or competition with him.”
Juhi Chawla
Continuing with the excellence behind the Kolkata Knight Riders, we come to the other owner of the team.
That is none other than Juhi Chawla, who co-owns the team with Shah Rukh Khan and her husband Jay Mehta.
Juhi and Shah Rukh are a popular onscreen Bollywood couple, but it is refreshing to see them share a mutual love for cricket.
However, Juhi revealed that while she and SRK have founded the team together, they may not be the best people to see a match in the same room.
She said: “IPL is always exciting. We all are in front of our television sets.
“When our team plays, it is interesting to watch them and we all are highly tense.
“It is not good to watch a match with him because when our team is not performing well, he vents out his anger at me.
“I tell him to tell that to the team and not me. So we are not the best people to watch the match with.
“I think the same goes for a lot of owners. They all can be seen sweating while their teams play.”
Preity Zinta
The IPL would be incomplete without this vivacious star’s presence.
Preity Zinta is not one to hide her love for sports. Within the great actress lies a determined franchise owner.
The team was established in 2008 and was formerly called Kings XI Punjab.
In 2021, it was renamed as Punjab Kings.
Preity, Mohit Burman, Ness Wadia and Karan Paul co-own the team.
In 2024, Preity praised batsman Shashank Singh following a ground-breaking match between the Punjab Kings and the Gujarat Titans.
She expressed: “Today seems like the perfect day to finally talk about things that were said in the past about us at the auction.
“A lot of people in similar situations would have lost confidence, buckled under pressure or become de-motivated, but not Shashank!
“He is not like a lot of people. He is truly special.
“Not just because of his skill as a player but because of his positive attitude & incredible spirit.
“He took all the comments, jokes, and brickbats so sportingly and never became a victim.
“He backed himself and showed us what he is made of, and for that I applaud him. He has my admiration and my respect.”
With so much support for her team, Preity makes for a wonderful sports team owner.
Abhishek Bachchan
Hailing from one of the most famous Bollywood families, Abhishek Bachchan is a keen follower of kabaddi.
The sport involves running, wit and coordination. So many elements make an energetic person like Abhishek the perfect choice to own such a team.
Abhishek owns the Jaipur Pink Panthers, which enjoyed its first season in 2014.
The team showcase their home matches at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium, creating entertainment galore for kabaddi fans.
Abhishek discussed his personal connection to the team:
“Jaipur Pink Panthers has a very personal touch with me.”
“Whatever work I do in life, I feel it should have a personal connect.
“When I was little, my father used to call me out saying ‘Tiger’. Then after a few years, I thought even I should call him something as an answer.
“One day when he came back home from shooting, he asked me, ‘How are you tiger?’
“I replied, ‘I am fine Panther. How are you?’ and I was 4-5 years old then. Since then, it became like a fun thing.
“If there was an animal that we wanted to choose, I was sure that it was a panther because that is how I used to call my father.
“Pink is my daughter Aaradhya’s favourite colour. So I thought that ‘pink’ and ‘panther’ would be nice.
“Jaipur was the city, Aishwarya and I came together in, so that’s why Jaipur.”
Sanjay Dutt
A firm fixture in Indian cinema for over four decades, Sanjay Dutt is a symbol of charisma and machoism.
Sanjay expanded his diverse array of projects when he became one of the owners of the Harare Hurricanes in 2023.
It is a cricket team participating in the Zim Afro T10 tournament.
Zimbabwe’s T10 league is gaining momentum as the fastest version of cricket, showing no signs of slowing down.
Sanjay spoke about his association with Harare Hurricanes, who are proving themselves to be one of the most promising sports teams.
He explained: “As one of the major cricketing nations, I believe it is our responsibility to expand the game to every corner of the world.
“Zimbabwe has a rich cricketing history, and it brings me immense joy to be associated with it and provide fans with an exhilarating experience.
“I am eagerly looking forward to the Harare Hurricanes’ success in the Zim Afro T10 league.”
Sanjay Dutt should be applauded for expanding the Indian zeal for cricket across borders.
Here’s hoping that he continues to oversee massive success for the Harare Hurricanes!
John Abraham
When it comes to football in India, the ISL is the top domestic league for fans.
John Abraham is one of the pioneers of the NorthEast United FC – a club that was founded on April 13, 2014.
The team represents the eight states of North East India.
These comprise Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Mizoram.
NorthEast United FC’s home ground is the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
On October 13, 2014, the team won their first ISL match in the stadium.
The actor revealed interesting things about his vision for the team:
“My vision has always been and will always be to make NorthEast the epicentre of football training and football in the country.
“I want NorthEast to be the main focus of anything that has to do with football in this country.
“For that, we met the Honourable Chief Minister of Megale, Mr Conrad Sangma.
“We are very happy to say that we’re working towards a plan to create an academy, which we believe is going to be a centre of excellence for anybody who’s aspiring to play for India.
“I personally speak for myself; I personally put my blood, sweat, energy, and money into this team to make it special.
“And I have a dream to see the steam on top. And the steam will be on top very soon.”
Ranbir Kapoor
Fans of Ranbir Kapoor who are also football aficionados can celebrate upon knowing that Ranbir is a part owner of Mumbai City FC.
Mumbai City FC is part of the City Football Group, which also owns Manchester City.
Ranbir has an equity stake in the team that amounts to 18%.
Mumbai City are the first football club to win the League Winners Shield and the ISL title in the same season.
In July 2023, Ranbir disclosed his thoughts on the position of Mumbai City FC:
“Of course, there is a certain modernisation to where we begun, where we started in Year 1.
“The philosophy of the club was always to be resilient. I think we all really represent that culture in the City.
“It’s taken a lot over the years to reach where we have reached today.
“There is a long way to go, but I think there is just one giant step towards football in our country.
“I really hope that football catches on and really grows as a sport in our country.”
Such optimistic feelings certainly suggest the good fortune of Mumbai City FC in having Ranbir as one of their owners.
Taapsee Pannu
So far on this list, we have explored sports including cricket and football.
However, another sport that runs deep in the annals of India is badminton.
The love for the game spans generations of Indian film personalities.
Yesteryear celebrities like Dilip Kumar and Mohammad Rafi have openly voiced their love for the game.
Pune 7 Aces is part of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) and is co-owned by the beloved actress Taapsee Pannu.
The team was founded in 2018 and is coached by Mathias Boe, who is in a relationship with Taapsee and is rumoured to have secretly tied the knot in April 2024.
Talking about badminton’s popularity in India, Taapsee said:
“We should officially call badminton the family sport of India.
“Because all of us have played it at least once, whether it’s during our family picnics, school or college.”
“Now, we play badminton for recreation and rejuvenation. So, this sport should be the closest to our hearts as Indians.
“And I don’t know how many people know that badminton originated in India and therefore we really need to own the sport because it started here.
“I am happy now. I can breathe a huge sigh of relief with the kind of players I have in our team.”
There is no denying that Bollywood actors always dazzle us on the big screen.
However, just as much as the love of film runs rampant in India, the craze for sport also seeps into the country’s culture.
When actors intertwine their unique selling points of film with the progression of sport, fans love and enjoy the results.
These teams are flourishing under the ownership of Bollywood stars.
Actors imbibe their passion into the pitch and the fields, and these sports teams are all the better for it.
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