The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the preserve of the rich, but their kids don’t restrict themselves to playing on the VIP gallery on match days. Gayatri Reddy, daughter of Deccan Chronicle chairman, T Venkatram Reddy, rubbed shoulders with celebrities at the IPL auction in Bangalore as the face of Deccan Chargers. She has been missing since Chargers were terminated in 2012. (IPL AUCTION 2018 - LIVE UPDATES)
But Mumbai Indians table has the owners’ son Akash Ambani, who is seated with mother Nita and is the focus every time the Reliance-owned champions bid for a player, raising the paddle.
Nearby, 17-year-old Jhanvi raises the paddle in the Kolkata Knight Riders table. The daughter of actor Juhi Chawla and producer Jay Mehta, who are the co-owners of KKR with Shah Rukh Khan. Jhanvi often leans in to catch the strategy talk by franchise officials before raising the paddle.
The presence of the youngsters is a welcome change to the grim faces of retired cricket stalwarts and team owners constantly looking to give away as little as possible to get the players who can give them the most.
As India gallops in the direction of franchise league, the intense IPL auction table battles may not just be bringing business acumen to sport. These youngsters can take a leaf out of the bidding battles into the real world as well.
