With the IMG-Reliance-run Indian Super League "looking to expand from eight to 10 teams from the coming season," the Tata Group is "exploring the possibility of acquiring a franchise at an auction that is likely to be held in the next couple of months," according to Zachariah & Mergulhao of TNN. According to sources, "the salt-to-software enterprise is weighing in various aspects related to owning a franchise after IMG-Reliance approached the group's leadership with a proposal." A source familiar with the development said that Bombay House, the HQ of the $104B Tata conglomerate, has "yet to take a final decision." If Group Chair N. Chandrasekaran goes for an ISL franchise, the brand will get an "additional boost through its presence in this emerging sports segment." In the process, it will also bring two of India's "most well-known corporate bigwigs" on the same platform for the first time. Should the Tata Group "join the fray," it is "likely to choose Jamshedpur as the home base." The group has been running the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpur since '87 (TNN, 4/30).
