BENGALURU, July 14: Swashbuckling West Indian opener Chris Gayle today showed interest in owning an ISL-type team and said he is in discussions with few stakeholders for some commercial ventures.
�I would definitely love to own an Indian Super League kind of team, but what best one can do is to get involved in it while you are active playing cricket,� Gayle told PTI at an event here.
Gayle said cricket itself is business and all the stakeholders want to raise money as much as possible.
�Business will always come in, once you produce scintillating on-field knocks. People and companies will chase you, but cricket itself is business. Everybody wants to generate as much revenues as possible,� he said.
Gayle also said big names like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are owning teams post-retirement because they want to foray into the world of business.
�If you feel you have enough time to venture into it, so do it even if you are an active and busy player, but if you feel you can�t, you can always foray into this venture post-retirement,� he said.
Tendulkar and Ganguly own Kerala Blasters and Atletico de Kolkata, respectively.
Asked whether he is tying up with any other commercial ventures, Gayle said, �Definitely. There are a few projects under the table which are actually under discussion as we speak.�
It would be a great gesture from marquee players like him to pick up stakes for owning non-cricket teams, Gayle said.
�As cricketers, you want to do good things for other sports as well, especially when you are associated with big brands. It is a great gesture, for sure,� he said.
Yesterday, Gayle had announced an undisclosed investment in IONA Entertainment, a Bengaluru-based gaming company.
IONA, at present, has one 70,000 square-feet gaming venue at Virginia Mall here. � PTI
