“I didn’t have that much money in my pocket.” Abhishek Bachchan’s pain over not buying IPL team

Mumbai: The relationship between Bollywood and cricket is very old. While on one hand, veteran stars like Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Juhi Chawla tried their luck by buying teams in IPL, on the other hand, Bollywood’s ‘Junior B’ i.e. Abhishek Bachchan remained out of this race. While Abhishek is considered to be a big sports fan and is also the owner of successful teams like ‘Jaipur Pink Panthers’ in the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) and ‘Chennaiyin FC’ in the Football League (ISL). Now Abhishek has revealed for the first time why he did not invest money in any IPL team.

“IPL was out of my budget”

Abhishek Bachchan broke his silence in an interview with Forbes. He honestly admitted that when IPL started, it was not in his power to buy it. Abhishek said, “This may sound strange to you, because IPL is the biggest platform of entertainment and I love it very much. I wanted to join it, but the truth is that when it started, it was very expensive.”

Abhishek further told that at that time he was an emerging artist and his films gradually started doing well at the box office. “I was earning decently, but buying an IPL team was far out of my budget at that time,” he said.

I don’t like sitting in the stands just being a star.

Abhishek not only talked about money, but also threw light on his way of working. He said that he is not the kind of person who would just sit in the stands and wave and show his ‘star power’. According to Abhishek, “BCCI does an excellent job in managing cricket, so I thought what new contribution can I make there? I like to be deeply involved with the team.”

Abhishek told that he remains very closely associated with his Kabaddi and football teams. He sits with the players, watches their training and even takes care of their food management. That’s the kind of ‘hands-on’ management he likes.

Will Abhishek’s IPL team be seen in the future?

Although Abhishek initially stayed away from IPL, he has not closed the door for the future. He admitted that when he started, he did not understand the business of cricket as much as he does now. He said in a funny and positive tone that one should not give up, who knows, in the future such an opportunity may arise that he too becomes a part of IPL.