Indian soccer league to feature movie stars, ex-cricket captains as owners

MUMBAI, India – A new professional soccer league in India this year will feature movie stars and former Indian cricket captains Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly as co-owners of teams.

Aging star players like Thierry Henry, Hernan Crespo and Fredrik Ljungberg are expected to compete in the first edition of the Indian Super League from September to November. India already has the national I-League, which has several foreign players but none of them stars.

Organizers IMG-Reliance said Sunday that Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and John Abraham are among the co-owners.

Tendulkar landed a franchise for the southern Indian city of Kochi along with the business group PVP, which also owns a team in the Indian Badminton League. Ganguly will co-own the Kolkata team as part of a consortium that includes Spanish league team Atletico Madrid.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.