Come October, Sourav will be up for grabs

KOLKATA: The speculation over who Sourav Ganguly''s new agents would be, once his existing contract expires in end-September, is suddenly gaining steam.
World Sports Nimbus, the group reported to have offered an astronomical guarantee money of Rs 60 crore, has clearly denied of "even contemplating'''' to sign him, but the Indian cricket captain''s departure for Australia earlier this week on a personal visit has set cricket circles abuzz.
If the deal works out, Sourav would become the second-richest sportsman in the country after Sachin, whose endorsements are worth Rs 100 crores.
When contacted by this newspaper in Mumbai, Harish Thawani, cochairman of WSN said, "We have given no such proposal to Ganguly, nor are we contemplating to. There is no resolution even in the company board of taking cricketers on board for celebrity management.''''
Ganguly, who had severed his ties with WorldTel in 2000 to join Percept D''Mark for a three-year-deal, will be up for grabs once his contract ends on September 30.
While his existing agents sounded confident that they would be able to retain the star, they have not been able to extract any formal commitment. "We have shared a great relationship with Ganguly and would also like to secure his future with the forthcoming deal,'''' said Sanjay Lal, CEO of Percept D''Mark.
What has increased the suspense is the player''s visit Down Under.
While family sources say he has gone there for "personal work,'''' unconfirmed reports said he would be shooting there for a commercial, apart from collecting some intelligence on the nature of wickets which would greet the Indians on their visit later this year.