Sachin Tendulkar picks up stake in PBL franchise

Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, on Thursday, ventured into the world of badminton as co-owner of Premier Badminton League (PBL) franchise “Bengaluru Blasters” alongside Tollywood film stars including Chiranjeevi.

“Sachin, Chiranjeevi, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Allu Aravind, besides myself — we all of us have formed a consortium and invested in Bengaluru Blasters,” team co-owner and businessman Nimmagadda Prasad said.

This is the second venture of the consortium that owns Kerala Blasters, a part of the Indian Super League football tournament. Asked about the stakes picked up by the consortium members, Prasad denied to share details on it, but said he would disclose the details at an opportune time.

Asked whether it is a riskier affair to enter into badminton league which has not taken off as expected compared to Pro-Kabbadi, Prasad said, “When it comes to sport, every entrepreneur faces this challenge. Let me tell you, sir, this is not a venture for making profits, but to raise the standards of badminton in India,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Tendulkar said, given the recent wave of success for India in badminton globally, it is the right time to help grow the sport exponentially.