After kabaddi, Abhishek Bacchan picks stake in ISL's Chennai franchise

After making a foray into the sporting worldwith Jaipur Pink Panthers in the Pro Kabaddi League, Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan has reportedly picked stake in the Chennai franchise in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL).

According to a Business Standard report, Abhishek Bachchan is the only Bollywood celebrity to have invested in two sports leagues.

The Chennai franchise was instituted after Sun Group decided to back out after it won the promotership of the Bangalore franchise. Previously, the city failed to make the cut in the eight-team ISL, with Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune and Guwahati making the numbers.

According to a Zee News report, Abhishek is known to be an ardent supporter of Chelsea FC and is a participant in celebrity football matches.

The Indian Super League (ISL), the first of its kind football league in India, was launched on Thursday by star team owners Sachin Tendulkar, John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and brand ambassador Varun Dhawan who promised to popularise the game and invest in the grassroots development of the sport in the country.

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The promoters of ISL, IMG-Reliance and Star India, unveiled all eight team owners, who signed a replica of a football in a symbolic gesture to promote the game. The league’s logo was also unveiled during the ceremony.

Among the owners are former cricketers Sourav Ganguly (Kolkata team) and Sachin Tendulkar (Kochi team) along with Bollywood celebrities John Abraham (North East United), Ranbir Kapoor (Mumbai City), Salman Khan (Pune City), Bachchan and Varun Dhawan, who is the brand ambassador for the Goa team.

Corporates such as Videocon (Goa) and Den Networks (Delhi) and football clubs Atletico de Madrid (Kolkata) and Dempo (Goa) are also part of the League.