The Indian Super League: Beautiful people’s game

The Indian Super League (ISL), a football competition powered by Rupert Murdoch and Reliance-IMG, could be the next big thing in Indian sport. Event promoters have said they have received around 30 bids for eight possible franchises. The teams will be based in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Kochi and Goa.

Don’t expect Messi and Ronaldo in the ISL. But a handful of recently retired stars could be seen at the tournament as players or coaches. Thierry Henry, Hernan Crespo, Michael Owen and Peter Schmeichel are some names doing the rounds. The league is scheduled to kick off in September.

The base price for a franchise is around Rs 25 crore. The promoters have also signed a Rs 1,500 crore, ten-year deal with Star India to telecast the tournament.

Not surprisingly, heavyweights in Indian cricket and Bollywood are said to be investing in the project. They include Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan.

How good are they at the People’s Game? The following pictures provide a clue.