Unlike most IPL franchise owners, those who invested in the controversial Kochi team were not born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouth. In fact, Shailendra Gaekwad and Jayant Kotalwar's respective siblings are government employees
Unlike most IPL franchise owners, those who invested in the controversial Kochi team were not born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouth. In fact, Shailendra Gaekwad and Jayant Kotalwar's respective siblings are government employees
It's no secret that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is bankrolled by the country's rich and famous -- from India's richest man Mukesh Ambani to liquor baron Vijay Mallya, from Bollywood baadshah Shah Rukh Khan to the glamorous Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta. Celebrity owners were the rage of cricket's biggest show, but they can now take a back seat.
For stealing the thunder of the who's who in the country are names, which till yesterday, were lesser knownu00a0-- Shailendra Gaekwad and Jayant Kotalwar.
Both are stakeholders in the Kochi franchisee, which first surprised the cricketing fraternity by its winning bid of Rs 1,533.3 crore from the not-so-famous Rendezvous Sports and now by taking the biggest name in IPL -- Lalit Modi head-on.
And the surprises don't end there. The humble beginnings of the Kochi owners are today adding intrigue to the tournament that even the glitz and glamour of the film stars and businessmen failed to do.
Interestingly, friends of Kotalwar and Gaekwad in Mumbai, said, "We are confident that they (Gaekwad and Kotalwar) maybe frontmen for the Kochi team, but the actual moneyu00a0 belongs to some financial institute or a rich investor. The two cannot afford to pump in so much cash. They are not so rich."
MiD DAY does a background check...
Shailendra Gaekwad
26 per cent equity in Kochi franchise
Shailendra, now the CEO of Rendezvous Sports, hails from the sleepy town of Solapur. A distributor of south Indian movies, he was a proprietor of an automobile dealership in Solapur. Satyajit, a spokesperson for the Kochi team, said, "Shailendra is a gold medalist, he is a consultant and owns a business."
Back in his hometown people know Shailendra as Pradeep, an avid cricket fan, who is known for his proximity to several top Indian cricketers. A few years back Shailendra launched the Pushp Cricket Academy in Solapur, which organised high-profile events involving famous cricketers, said a friend.u00a0
Sources close to Shailendra said, "We are finding it hard to believe that the Rendezvous CEO Shailendra is none other than the man who is known as Pradeep in the friend circles."
Insiders say they have invested 70 per cent, up to Rs 250 crore in the franchise.
Shailendra's brother Ravi is employed with the Regional Transport Office and is also known to enjoy the close proximity to many star cricketers. However, the siblings are not on talking terms. Ravi's name was dragged recently in the imported motorcycle scam unearthed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.u00a0
Sources revealed that Ravi has been transferred out of Mumbai and is yet to take charge of his new posting.
Ravi is a partner in Neeta Travels, which runs buses between Mumbai and Pune. He is now friends with Kotalwar, the other Kochi franchise owner.u00a0
Ravi stays with his family at the government quarters near Haji Ali. When contacted, his wife said, "He (Ravi) is not at home and refused to comment on the IPL issue."
Police personnel attached to Bijapur Naka police station, Solapur under whose jurisdiction the Gaekwads have their plush bungalow in Anthrulikar Nagar visited it to make inquires about Shailendra.
Police constable A M Shaikh, who visited the house said, "Shailendra's sister Pratibha refused to provide any details."
Shailendra's father was a deputy engineer with PWD in Solapur and has now retired.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Jayant Kotalwar
16 per cent equity in the franchise
Kotalwar hails from Latur and is rumoured to have invested around Rs 100 crore in the franchise. His brother Hemant, a 1996 batch IFS officer, is the director of at the office of Minister of State for External Affairs Sashi Tharoor.u00a0 It is believed that the interference from Tharoor in the Kochi franchise is intense not only because of Sunanda Pushkar, but also because of his close aide Hemant.u00a0
According to sources, both the brothers were studying together for their UPSC exams in Mumbai nearly two decades ago.
Kotalwar is now employed with a US-based telecommunication company, Alcatel-Lucent. Benedict Peter. This was confirmed by the company spokesperson, but he refused to divulge details.
On facebook
Facebook chat between Jayant Kotalwar and his buddies:
(Mon at 10.33 am) Harshawardhan Honmode: I am told Jayant Kotalwar is a part owner of Kochi team....for IPL....is that you?
(10.34 am) Jayant Kotalwar (reply): Yes, that is me.
(11.55 am) Nikhil Tatwawadi: Kotal? Where r u?
JK: In the US. Away from the media!
(Mon at 7:49pm) Nachiket Deshpande: That is awesome Kotal. Congrats!
(Tuesday at 6.32 pm) Anand Katke: simply grt
Rs 1,533 cr
The amount at which the new Kochi team was bought by Rendezvous Sports
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