West Indies spontaneous opener, Chris Gayle has shown interest in buying an ISL-type team. He is in talks with few stakeholders for some commercial ventures.
Gayle said, “I would definitely love to own an Indian Super League kind of team, but what best one can do is to get involved in it while you are active playing cricket”. He added, “Business will always come in, once you produce scintillating on-field knocks. People and companies will chase you, but cricket itself is the business. Everybody wants to generate as many revenues as possible”.
Gayle also said big names like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are owing teams post-retirement because they want to foray into the world of business. “If you feel you have enough time to venture into it, so do it even if you are an active and busy player, but if you feel you can’t, you can always foray into this venture post- retirement”. Tendulkar and Ganguly own Kerala Blasters and Atletico de Kolkata, respectively.
Besides, when asked about tying up with any other commercial ventures, he said, “Definitely, there are a few projects under the table which are actually under discussion as we speak”. He added “As cricketers, you want to do good things for other sports as well, especially when you are associated with big brands. It is a great gesture, for sure”.
Few days before, Gayle had announced an undisclosed investment in IONA Entertainment which is a gaming- based company situated in Bengaluru. At present, IONA has one 70,000 square-feet gaming venue at Virginia Mall, Bengaluru. Gayle is happy to associate with IONA and apart wants to invest in Indian businesses, as many as possible.