See: Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ram Charan ... Bollywood and South stars who are investing in gully cricket

A string of Bollywood and South Indian stars have bought up teams in the Indian Street Premier league, a pioneering T10 tennis ball cricket tournament scheduled in March. The latest buyers are Kareena Kapoor Khan and her husband, Saif Ali Khan, who are now owners of the Kolkata team.

Taking to Instagram, Kareena, who has 11.4 million followers, shared a Reel, in which young cricketers playing gully cricket were featured. The video was captioned: “Cricket, a tradition we cherish, a love we share ... it runs in the family after all ...” Kareena was referring to her father-in-law, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was the former captain of the Indian national cricket team.

Earlier, Amitabh Bachchan became the owner of the Mumbai team in the first edition of the ISPL. Sharing a picture of himself alongside Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, he wrote in the caption, “What an exciting and most noble, filled with courage and care, concept, the initiation of the ISPL - the Street Premier league.” He further posted: “An opportunity for them that exhibited their capacity on the streets, gullies and makeshift homemade pitches to play cricket , now to get selected for a team professionally and exhibit their talent in formal setups before the millions the world over. For me, an honour and a privilege to be with Mumbai as Team Owner, and to be privy to the surge of talent erupt , for a grand visionary future (sic),” he added.

Bollywood’s ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar, who owns the Srinagar team in the league, posted on Instagram: "Jammu aur Kashmir ki galiyon se stadium tak, aao apni zindagi badli jaaye! (From Jammu and Kashmir's lanes to the stadium, come, let your life change.) Proud to co-own the Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir) team of the @ispl_t10."

'RRR' actor Ram Charan shared the exciting news of his ownership on his official social media page, expressing enthusiasm for the venture beyond cricket. In his announcement, the actor stated, "Excited to announce my ownership of Team Hyderabad in the Indian Street Premier League! Beyond cricket, this venture is about nurturing talent, fostering community spirit, and celebrating street cricket's essence. Join me as we elevate Hyderabad's presence in the ISPL, crafting memorable moments and igniting passion."

Popular Tamil actor Suriya, who acquired Team Chennai recently, took to Instagram to share: Vanakkam Chennai! I am beyond electrified to announce the ownership of our Team Chennai in ISPLT10. To all the cricket enthusiasts, let’s create a legacy of sportsmanship, resilience, and cricketing excellence together."

Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan, who owns Team Bangalore, added a personal note to his post, saying: "Life comes full circle from growing up playing cricket on the streets with my friends, to now being the Proud Team Owner of the Bengaluru Team for Indian Street Premiere League T10!"