Sourav Ganguly and SRK in possible bidding war for ISL Kolkata franchise

Sourav Ganguly and Shah Rukh Khan

Sourav Ganguly would would face stiff competition from actor Shah Rukh Khan in the bidding war for Indian Super League Kolkata Franchise.

According to CNN IBN, A very keen football enthusiast and Kolkata boy, Sourav Ganguly is interested in owning the Kolkata franchise in the newly formed Indian Super League. Kolkata Knight Riders’ principal owner, actor Shah Rukh Khan, too is interested in the same franchise.

Since the IPL days, there has seemed to be a cold war between the stars. It all started when SRK owned KKR decided to axe Sourav Ganguly from the team.

The base price for each team has been set at Rs. 120 crore for a 10-year franchise ownership contract. Sourav, who is said to be backed by a corporate, and Shah Rukh will certainly try to outdo each other when they submit the bids.

Both the bidders have approached Kolkata football giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan to get them on-board for their ISL franchise.

Three other National brands have shown interest in the Kolkata franchise.

The owners of another IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals too are thought to be interested in bidding for an ISL franchise. The Royals are reportedly going to bid for the Guwahati franchise.

IMG-Reliance group have invited bids for nine cities – Kolkata, Mumbai, Goa, Pune, Guwahati, Kochi, Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi – of which eight cities will be selected. The prospective bidders must comply with all the clauses to stand a good chance.

While the financial stability of bidders will be screened, all bidders eager to own a franchise must present a proper plan for a grass-root development programme in the city they bid for. E&Y have been entrusted with the responsibility of evaluating the bid documents and the winning franchises will be announced in the first week of April 2014.