IPL shows Bollywood pretty faces exit door

MUMBAI With the exit of the celluloid queens, Bollywood's honeymoon with the Indian Premier League seems to be slowly coming to an end. Now it is more about the game than the glamour quotient.

Both Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta were refusing to talk about the exit of their teams even though it was probably one of the most ambitious ventures of their careers. Shilpa Shetty just said that she is "shocked" and "does not how to react" while Preity Zinta, who was seen busy at a fashion show on Saturday, just disappeared from the scene when news of the Kings XI Punjab being scrapped emerged.

Of course, Shilpa has found support in Vijay Mallya, who has posted a strongly-worded tweet on Shilpa's page. "This is downright ridiculous ... I wonder if IPL franchisees are serious stakeholders whose investments and participation are respected or are they slaves who only come and play," said the Royal Challengers owner.

With the exit of the two actor-owners from the IPL, the glamour quotient is certainly bound to get eroded. Said a source, "The IPL was started as entertainment sports and the stars made all the difference to the game. There are thousands of followers of a particular team only because of the stars association with that particular team."

But will the exit of Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta affect the brand value of the game? While there are some who feel it will, Sabas Joseph of event management company Wizcraft thinks otherwise. "The IPL is about cricket and our country's passion for the game. The best cricketers are there and celebrities will continue to engage with the IPL platform,"