Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly exuded cautious optimism while stepping into a new venture as a football entrepreneur on Monday.
Ganguly is the co-owner of the Kolkata franchise of the Indian Super League along with industrialists Sanjeev Goenka, Harshavardhan Neotia, Utsav Parekh and noted La Liga club Atletico Madrid.
“Please do not compare it with the IPL. It is a new start and will definitely head towards something good,” Ganguly said, hoping the new initiative of Indian football will be a positive one.
“This is a new challenge and we will try and make use of the best talent and resources available. Cricketers like me and Sachin started playing on matting wickets.
The consortium headed by Ganguly is yet to ascertain the modalities of the tournament.
The tournament, which could not be launched last year as IMG-R failed to secure the necessary aspects for a start, has been slotted in the mid-September to mid-November period of the national calendar this season.
“We will look to balance investment and value and hope for the best returns from the team in the tournament,” Ganguly said, while his industrialist partners Goenka, Neotia and Parekh concurred.
