After a failed bid to enter the glamorous, even if controversial, Indian Premier League, city-based PVP Group on Monday did the next best thing: Owned the first franchise of the Indian Badminton League, the Hyderabad Hotshots, and fittingly, netted World No 3 and the real hot shot Saina Nehwal.
PVP Group chairman Potluri Vara Prasad was understandably happy. “She is a big star. We are excited to have her in our ranks. We got what we wanted. We have a reserve of good talent apart from Saina,” he said. Asked about his unsuccessful foray into IPL, Prasad simply replied they have got an opportunity in badminton. “This game has brought laurels to India and is again capturing the imagination of the masses through the achievements of stars like Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa and others. We have always had sports and entertainment in our mind. It is a logical extension to sport,’’ he said. Hailing from Vijayawada, Prasad is originally a financier and producer in Tollywood. Besides, he has co-founded the Prasad V Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology in Vijayawada. He also owns PVP Energy and PVP Cinema.
PVP is the not the only newsmaker on Monday. The IBL promises to be a Hyderabadi affair for the most part. It has given four “icons” to the IBL. There is another Hyderabad angle too in the form of Tollywood star Nagarjuna. He’s the co-owner of the Mumbai team.