When Abhishek Bachchan decided to venture into owning a sports team in 2014, investing in kabaddi was still a rather novel idea in the Indian sports. For the actor, however, joining hands with the Pro Kabaddi League by purchasing a team wasn’t a mere business venture either. Each step taken had a personal angle to it. In an interaction with the chairperson of PwC India, Sanjeev Krishnan on his podcast show Future Unplugged, Abhishek revealed the story behind his franchise.
Jaipur has always held a special place in Abhishek Bachchan’s life. It was one of the locations where he shot his debut film Refugee, and it was also the city where his relationship with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan began, making it an especially meaningful choice for him. Explaining his decision, Abhishek said, “I picked up the Jaipur team. Jaipur is where I shot a part of my first film. It was an auspicious thing to start something new. It was also a city where Aishwarya and I started dating, it has an emotional part.”
Even the name of the team has some sweet family significance to it. Abhishek mentioned that his daughter loved the color pink at that point, whereas Pink Panther was inspired by Aishwarya who played her role in The Pink Panther 2 in 2009. Thus, even the name carried a piece of his family with it. He added, “Pink because it was my daughter's favourite colour at that point of time and 'Pink Panther' was a film which Aishwarya made. If you see, our Pink Panther has blue-green eyes which are the same as my wife's. So there is a personal connect to everything about Jaipur Pink Panthers.”
Jaipur Pink Panthers was founded in 2014 as one of the eight original franchises of the Pro Kabaddi League. Abhishek became the owner of the Jaipur-based team and announced the franchise ahead of the league's inaugural season.
That passion eventually expanded beyond kabaddi. Abhishek is also associated with Chennaiyin Football Club in the Indian Super League and is a co-founder of the European T20 Premier League, which is scheduled to begin in August 2026.
Abhishek Bachchan will next star in Shah Rukh Khan starrer King, which is scheduled for Christmas 2026 release. He is reportedly playing the antagonist. The film also stars Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Suhana Khan, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Raghav Juyal among others.
Monica Yadav is a senior entertainment journalist with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Mumbai, with nearly 11 years of experience covering Bollywood, Hollywood and Asian entertainment, including Korean, Chinese and Thai cinema, television and music. She is among the few Indian journalists in India with a dedicated focus on Korean entertainment, including K-pop and K-dramas, and has interviewed some of the industry's biggest stars while closely tracking the rise of global pop culture. Her reporting has also taken her beyond India, where she has covered travel, culture and entertainment. Alongside her work at Hindustan Times, her bylines have appeared in several international publications. Known for her in-depth interviews, feature stories and engaging storytelling, Monica enjoys exploring the human side of entertainment. From breaking news and long-form features to music coverage, explainers and on-camera conversations with artists, she is passionate about telling stories that connect with audiences across the world.Read More
