Hours before becoming BCCI boss, Sourav Ganguly watches ISL game with Nita Ambani

NEW DELHI: The world might be going crazy over the era of Dadagiri in cricket after former India captain Sourav Ganguly took charge as the 39th Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president on Wednesday, but we missed out on details about his epic weekend.

The 47-year-old cricketer, who is also the co-owner of Indian Super League (ISL) franchise ATK, spent some quality time with Reliance Foundation's Founder Chairperson Nita Ambani in Kochi, Kerala, for the sixth edition of the sports league on Sunday.

Dada took to Twitter to post a picture with the powerhouse in sports from the opening ceremony. He boasted about the 'packed stands' at Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.


He also shared a glimpse from the inauguration, announcing the 'start of ISL'.


While Ganguly was keen to spend time with Team India players on Saturday, who defeated South Africa in the third and final Test in Ranchi, he had to cancel the plan for this edition of ISL. Following that, the former cricketer, who has stepped down from the mentor-ship position of Delhi Capital, took charge as the president of the world's richest cricket board, dressed in an India blazer.


In a one minute, 48 second-long video posted by the official Twitter handle of ISL, Mrs Ambani seemed excited for the sixth edition of ISL, standing alongside Ganguly. She was quoted saying, "One of the strongest pillars of ISL has been Indian football." She further said that she was keen to see more Indian players emerge during this edition of the league.


While lauding the Indian women's football, she confirmed that the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup will be coming to India, and the U17 tournament will also launch this year. She also said that the new Children's League initiative, which is in works, will reach out to 40,000 young aspirants in three years.


During the inaugural function, the 55-year-old sports enthusiast, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, also expressed her desire to host ISL games in the Middle East. She has urged major European clubs and brands to invest in the competition to benefit from the access it offers to an increasingly diverse sports market.

The ISL has received a boost as the Asian Football Confederation helped broker an agreement under which the competition will replace the I-League as the country's top tier from the start of the 2019-20 season. FIFA, the AFC and other soccer stakeholders see the subcontinent as a potential major growth market for the sport, and Ambani claimed the ISL has "ignited India's love for football" ad presented opportunities for potential partners domestically and from abroad.