Top 11 Indian celebrities who have invested in sports

With a host of franchise-based leagues mushrooming in India across various sports lately, the celebrities in the country have started jumping on the sports bandwagon. By purchasing or becoming co-owners of teams in sports like cricket, football, tennis and even kabaddi, these famous personalities have turned Indian sport into a star-studded and glitzy arena.Here's a look at the top 11 most high-profile celebrities in India who have invested in sports.

#11 Ranbir Kapoor

After becoming the brand ambassador for Pepsi in the IPL, Ranbor Kapoor has taken his interest in sport one step further by becoming the co-owner of the Mumbai franchise in the Indian Super League.

Ranbir and Mumbai's leading investment banker Bimal Parekh bought the franchise jointly last week.

#10 Abhishek Bachchan

Abhishek Bachchan recently became the owner of the Jaipur franchise of the Pro Kabaddi League.

"The sport of kabaddi is already immensely popular, and through the league I hope we can take this great sport to a whole new horizon," he said after buying the team.

#9 Shilpa Shetty

In 2009, Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra became part owners of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals.

Shilpa is often seen enthusiastically supporting the team at all the games of the franchise, and is regularly spotted during the player auctions too.

#8 John Abraham

Apart from being a Bollywood actor and producer, John Abraham is an avid sports enthusiast.

John is the co-owner of the Delhi Waveriders franchise which won the Hockey india League in 2014. John owns a 13% stake in the franchise.

Apart from that, he also recently became the co-owner of the Guwahati franchise in the Indian Super League which is scheduled to take place later this year.

#7 Preity Zinta

In 2008, Preity Zinta became the IPL's youngest owner when she became co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab franchise alongside Ness Wadia and his group.

Zinta is passionate about the team and is regularly seen cheering for the players from the sidelines.

#6 Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar, who is trained in martial arts, has been conducting an annual karate and judo tournament since 2009. The event, called the 'Akshay Kumar Invitational Kudo Tournament', takes place around October every year, and features martial arts experts from all over the world.

#5 Salman Khan

Salman Khan is the new owner of the Pune franchise of the Indian Super League alongside Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan of the Wadhawan Group.

#4 Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly was a footballer in his younger days and the former Indian captain has kept his passion for the game alive, which is reflected in his decision to become the co-owner of the Kolkata franchise of the Indian Super League.

Ganguly owns the franchise along with industrialists Harsh Neotia of Ambuja Neotia Group, Sanjeev Goenka of RPG Group, stock broker Utsav Parekh and top Spanish club Atletico Madrid.

#3 Sunil Gavaskar and Nagarjuna

Indian cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar and Telugu film superstar Nagarjuna are the co-owners of the Mumbai Masters franchise in the Indian Badminton League.

The team finished joint third in the inaugural season of the league and both the celebrities were frequently in attendance to cheer the team on.

#2 Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla

Shah Rukh Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment in partnership with actress Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta from the Mehta Group bought the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise of the IPL in 2008.

Both of them are seen at the matches and also travel with the team on occasion.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

The word 'celebrities' is usually taken in reference to movies and Bollywood, but there's no denying who the biggest celebrity in India is.

Sachin Tendulkar, alongside PVP ventures, bought the Kochi franchise of the Indian Super League last week.

Tendulkar is also co-owner of the Mumbai franchise of the Indian Premier Tennis League which is scheduled to take place in November-December this year.