Bengaluru: Kannada cinemas poster boy Puneeth Rajkumar has signed a long-term agreement with Premier Futsal to acquire the Bengaluru franchise for the tournament.

Premier Futsal is a private and semi-professional Futsal league promoted by Xavier Britto of Indev Group. The league will be hosted from July 15-26 to create awareness of Futsal as a sport in India.

The agreement, for an undisclosed sum, makes Bengaluru the third franchise to be sold after the youngest son of Rajkumar, Kannada cinemas most decorated actor picked up the Bengaluru 5s franchise. The multi-talented Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar said, “Bengaluru is consuming new sports with much curiosity. A fast paced sport like Futsal is certain to catch the imagination of the youth in Bengaluru. It is an honour to be a part of something that is happening for the first time in our country and I am certain the people from Bengaluru will come forth and support our venture to lead the Bengaluru franchise of Premier Futsal.” The Bengaluru franchise will be known as Bengaluru 5s, similar to how the all the teams will be named in the inaugural season. The franchise-owners will then be allowed to rebrand their respective teams from the second season onwards, a press release said. Premier Futsal Managing Director Dinesh Raj said, “We are delighted to announce one of Kannada cinemas most decorated families picking up Bengaluru franchise. Its a great opportunity for us to introduce a new sport to Karnataka. The response we have received from prospective owners across all cities validates our decision to get behind Futsal as sport.” Premier Futsal has signed some of the best futsallers in the world, including renowned Alessandro Rosa Vieira, fondly known as Falcao, footballers like Paul Scholes, Michel Salgado and Deco. — PTI