Aditya Prateek Singh, AKA Badshah, has just announced his debut investment in Mumbai’s upcoming ‘Ultimate Kho Kho’ (UKK) team. 

The musician now holds a 50-50 stake in the Mumbai franchise, along with Marathi film producer, Punit Balan. Ultimate Kho Kho, which was founded by Dabur Group Chairman Amit Burman, is set to launch in the latter half of 2022, with six teams that have now finalized ownership deals. The league’s official account also shared a post celebrating Mumbai’s inclusion this morning:

While Badshah and Balan co-own the Mumbai outfit, Capri Global and KLO Sports own the Rajasthan and Chennai teams respectively. Meanwhile, GMR Sports acquired the Telangana team, while Adani Sportsline predictably went for Gujarat. The Odisha government owns its own team as well, as the only state-owned property in the league.

“This is my first investment in sports,” admitted the rapper. “Earlier, I had an opportunity in basketball as I play the sport but that didn’t go through. As for kho kho, my mother used to play the sport in college and then she was at national selection camps at NSNIS (Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports) Patiala but circumstances weren’t favourable for her to be part of the national team”, Badshah told Moneycontrol.

Meanwhile, Balan — who is currently producing his latest venture Bhadrakali — was keen on kho kho as a serious business opportunity, citing the sport’s popularity in his native state as a major reason for his decision to chip in. Badshah, meanwhile, hopes to drum up support through his music. “I have been able to learn how to create a fan following. We want to create super fans,” he shared, suggesting that a team anthem was in the works. 

While Mumbai, Rajasthan, Chennai, Gujarat, Telangana, and Odisha have been represented, a few fans hoped to see more teams join the fray:

Badshah, meanwhile, seems excited to make headway with his new team, and possibly new ones in the future. 

“The opportunity has to be strong enough for me to be part of it, where I can add value to it,” he added. “I am passionate about sports especially homegrown sports.”

(Featured Image Credits: @Its_Badshah/Twitter)