Little-known consortium called Rendezvous brings Kochi on Twenty20 map, Sahara bags Pune.
There was no dearth of stars — Bollywood, corporate India, et al — at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction venue in Chennai but the star-turn came from unexpected quarters. Actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, as well as Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, had congregated at a plush Chennai hotel in anticipation of bagging an IPL team but a motley bunch of businessmen from Kerala — backed by minister of state for external affairs and Twitterer-at-large Shashi Tharoor — and Sahara Adventure Sports walked away with the prize.
A hitherto unknown consortium called Rendezvous Sports World Ltd surprised all, including IPL chairman Lalit Modi, by putting up the second highest bid for an IPL team. They bid Rs1,533 crore to bring Kochi on the cricketing map.
Indian cricket team sponsors Sahara, considered an also-ran among the five bidders, made the top bid of Rs1,702 crore and won Pune. “To be honest, I’m surprised by the bid amounts,” Modi told DNA.
The combined amount of the two bids was Rs3235.2 crore, at least 25% more than the combined bid for the eight teams purchased in the first round of team formation in 2008. Videocon (Rs1,471.5 crore) and Adani (Rs1,449 crore), favourites before the BCCI called for re-tendering, went home empty-handed. Pune City Corporation gave the lowest bid of Rs1,200 crore and came a distant fifth in the bidding process.
As earlier reported by DNA, the Kerala bid had the backing of Tharoor. The minister, as one official of Rendezvous said, is the “guiding angel”. “I’m just a mentor,” Tharoor told DNA from Kerala. “I hope the maidans of Kerala will have more dazzle from now on.”
Tharoor left it to the consortium partners to name the side although he himself once remarked that it could be Travancore Tigers. “It’s up Mr Gaekwad (one of the partners of the group) to decide on this,” Tharoor said.
There was, however, little known about the Kerala group and their representatives were not willing to divulge too much. “It would suffice at this point of time to let you know that we are a group of investors passionate about cricket. Some are from Kerala, other parts of India and some from abroad. I would not like to reveal too many details at this point of time,” Vivek Venugopal, one of the partners of the consortium, said.
The Kerala side will be based in Kochi. The city is yet to have a stadium of its own and Modi said the IPL will assist providing them with alternative venues. - With inputs from D Ram Raj in Chennai
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}