It's no secret that the IPL teams are bankrolled by India's rich and famous and starting on Saturday, they'll be trading their flashy business suits and saris for T-shirts of their teams as cricket's biggest and most glamorous show hits South Africa.
Cape Town has this week been taken over by Bollywood stars and some of the richest men in the world and these IPL team owners are just part of the intrigue of the tournament.
At the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa two years ago, the tournament's final was finished off with a dash of glitz and glamour as Shah Rukh Khan, the undisputed King of Bollywood, came out to support India as they took on Pakistan. That taste of the shorter, more entertaining form of the game motivated the star to buy into the Kolkota Knight Riders and more of Bollywood's best followed suit.
Celebrity owners became all the rage and soon the beauties pulled in as Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta - two of Bollywood's finest and biggest actresses - bought into the idea.
Shetty, a celebrity Big Brother winner, is part-owner of defending champions Rajasthan Royals, while Zinta has a share in the Kings XI Punjab, who've been based in Port Elizabeth for the past few weeks.
But the big money has come from India's richest men - Vijay Mallya, who is listed by Forbes as the seventh richest man in the world and now owns the Mumbai Indians, the richest team in the competition which was bought last year for $111.9-million. Mallya also owns the Force India Formula One team and will miss this opening weekend of the IPL because he is in China to watch his F1 team compete.
The second richest team in the IPL is owned by Mukesh Ambani, whose family is the fourth richest in the world. He bought the Bangalore Royal Challengers for $111,6-million last year.
But while the owners may be known for other reasons, they have been quick to reassure their followers they are committed to the success of their teams - and making sure their fans are well and truly entertained.
"At the Knight Riders we want to build a franchise that will show attitude in the way we play so that fans will like us," Khan told AFP. "We want to entertain and if we lose we still don't want to look like losers."
Cape Town has this week been taken over by Bollywood stars and some of the richest men in the world and these IPL team owners are just part of the intrigue of the tournament.
At the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa two years ago, the tournament's final was finished off with a dash of glitz and glamour as Shah Rukh Khan, the undisputed King of Bollywood, came out to support India as they took on Pakistan. That taste of the shorter, more entertaining form of the game motivated the star to buy into the Kolkota Knight Riders and more of Bollywood's best followed suit.
Celebrity owners became all the rage and soon the beauties pulled in as Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta - two of Bollywood's finest and biggest actresses - bought into the idea.
Shetty, a celebrity Big Brother winner, is part-owner of defending champions Rajasthan Royals, while Zinta has a share in the Kings XI Punjab, who've been based in Port Elizabeth for the past few weeks.
But the big money has come from India's richest men - Vijay Mallya, who is listed by Forbes as the seventh richest man in the world and now owns the Mumbai Indians, the richest team in the competition which was bought last year for $111.9-million. Mallya also owns the Force India Formula One team and will miss this opening weekend of the IPL because he is in China to watch his F1 team compete.
The second richest team in the IPL is owned by Mukesh Ambani, whose family is the fourth richest in the world. He bought the Bangalore Royal Challengers for $111,6-million last year.
But while the owners may be known for other reasons, they have been quick to reassure their followers they are committed to the success of their teams - and making sure their fans are well and truly entertained.
"At the Knight Riders we want to build a franchise that will show attitude in the way we play so that fans will like us," Khan told AFP. "We want to entertain and if we lose we still don't want to look like losers."
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