Celebrity Badminton League Pvt. Ltd., the firm which hosts the Celebrity Badminton League (CBL), will soon be getting venture capital funding from investors abroad. The firm’s founding director and chief executive officer, L. Hemachandran, said they were very close to clinching a deal. With fresh funds, Mr. Hemachandran intends to take the CBL to other markets, including Bollywood, during season 3 in 2019. The second season will be held from February 25 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. CBL is a platform for actors in south India to showcase their talent in the sport. According to Mr. Hemachandran, the aim is to connect sports and the entertainment industry. The first season of the CBL took place in 2017.
This year, four teams with celebrities from all the southern film industries will participate in the tournament. Each franchisee had made investments of up to ₹1 crore for this season, inclusive of the franchisee fee.