JAIPUR
Emerging Media (Manoj Badale, Lachlan Murdoch & other investors)
Cost: $67m

When Lachlan Murdoch’s name cropped up as one of the investors in Emerging Media, for IPL’s Jaipur team, it created a flutter of sorts. The surname is big enough to suggest that the consortium had powerful backing. Murdoch may be an outsider and a pleasant surprise for a city like Jaipur, but partner Manoj Badale’s name does ring a bell. Badale’s Cricket Star, the game’s first ever reality show, found its roots in India before venturing back to England, where he is based. That was two years ago and since then, the NRI has also tied up with the Rajasthan Cricket Academy (RCA) with Greg Chappell as chief coach.
After winning the bid for the Jaipur team, Badale has already made his interest known in recruiting Mahendra Singh Dhoni — a hot T20 property. “I can’t go taking names right now. We are working on it and we will try to involve the best. The IPL provides a wonderful opportunity to make a foray into the game. Every business takes time to settle and so will this one. But IPL promises a lot,” says Emerging Media CEO Fraser Castellino.
The eldest son of media magnate Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan may not be directly involved at the moment, but Badale and Castellino are making sure that they finish their homework before actual bidding begins. “Jaipur has good infrastructure. We are familiar with the place and so settled for the city. We are concentrating hard on the support staff and other requirements,” he adds.

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