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Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is planning to buy a football team in the coming Indian Super League.
"We are passionate about our cricket franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and would want to get into other sports. Football is the ideal way to go, considering Kolkata is crazy about it. We are in talks with IMG-Reliance (IMG and Reliance Industries) for the tournament. It's at a nascent stage, but we are looking at the opportunity." He and KKR co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta have no intention of selling the team.
"We, and I speak for Juhi and Jai, do not have any intentions of selling the team."
Khan revealed that in the past he wanted to have a team in the Formula 1 sport, but that did not work out. The Indian Super League is a football tournament which will follow an IPL like structure. The league is expected to take off in September-October this year. Television network STAR India is a 30 per cent partner in the venture and holds the broadcasting rights for the football league.
The ‘Indian Super League’ will feature eight city specific teams to start with and will tap the burgeoning interest among the country's young population that's increasingly seen taking interest in the sport globally.
Khan was present at the event along with Discovery Network Asia Pacific to announce the launch of a 4 part documentary on KKR on the Discovery Channel called "Living with KKR". The show will air from 24 to 27 February at 8 pm and will track the team’s journey of highs and lows in the 5 years of the IPL.
The one hour episodes include interviews with various members of the team and its management and track the team’s journey from being at the bottom of the table in the first three seasons to coming back and winning the IPL in the fourth season.
