Veteran Bollywood producer Vashu Bhagnani is stepping beyond the studio floor and onto centre court as he makes a foray into the world of sports. His company Vashu Bhagnani Industries Ltd. (VBIL) is coming on board as the owner of the league’s teams in World Tennis League (WTL) strengthening his position at the heart of the property.
For an industry figure best known for backing crowd-pleasing Hindi films, the move signals a sharp expansion of his brand into global live sport . With WTL looking to deepen it’s connect with Indian audiences, Vashu Bhagnani Industries Ltd. (VBIL) arrives as a partner that understands both spectacle and scale.
Describing the association as a natural extension of his entertainment DNA, Vashu Bhagnani says the partnership is about emotion as much as it is about sport. “I’ve spent my life telling stories on the big screen, and the World Tennis League is another kind of story – played out live, point by point, in front of passionate fans,” says Vashu Bhagnani. “Owning a team with WTL allows us to bring the energy of cinema to centre court, and to create an experience where world-class tennis and entertainment exist on the same stage.”
He adds that the idea is not just to attach a name to a franchise, but to build a team and a fan culture that mirrors the ambition of his films – aspirational, emotional and accessible to a wide cross-section of viewers.
Under the current framework, VBIL is bound to be attract prominent names to the World Tennis League. As team owner, Vashu Bhagnani will be closely involved in curating a high-impact squad.
For World Tennis League it is going to be shaping everything from player reveals and jersey launches to courtside experiences with the same commercial instinct that powers a big-banner release. With top players like Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Świątek, Nick Kyrgios, and Alexander Zverev, Elena Rybakina, Simona Halep and Casper Ruud having already been part of previous editions, this edition in India will be bigger.
Positioned as a “show” as much as a tournament, the World Tennis League is a franchise-based format that brings together a mix of top international players and leading Indian names in a fast-paced team competition. Typically staged over a compact window, the league promises topackages world-class tennis with entertainment segments and a festival-like atmosphere designed for both stadium audiences and broadcast viewers.
