Abhishek Bachchan reveals personal ties to Jaipur Pink Panthers

Actor Abhishek Bachchan has shared the personal motivations behind his ownership of the Jaipur Pink Panthers, a founding franchise of the Pro Kabaddi League established in 2014. During an appearance on the podcast ‘Future Unplugged’ with Sanjeev Krishan, Bachchan explained that the choice of Jaipur was driven by emotional connections to the city, where he filmed parts of his debut movie, ‘Refugee’, and where he and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan began dating.

Bachchan noted that several branding elements of the team are personal tributes. The name ‘Pink’ was chosen because it was his daughter’s favorite color at the time, while ‘Panther’ references the film ‘The Pink Panther’ starring Aishwarya Rai. Additionally, the team’s panther mascot features blue-green eyes to match his wife’s eye color.

Beyond kabaddi, Bachchan’s sports interests include co-ownership of Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League and the co-founding of the Euro T20 Slam, scheduled for August 2026.