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Captain Cool is all set to make his fans sweat it out. Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni joins the growing band of cricketer entrepreneurs by launching his chain of fitness centres.
The first SportsFit by MSD – as the fitness centre is called – opened in Gurgaon on Thursday, with the athletic cricketer leading the workouts himself. The super fit captain of the Indian Cricket Team worked out for 20 minutes with the fitness trainers. He said he aims to create a tribe of athletes willing to challenge and dedicate themselves to a vital way of life.
Dhoni has invested in the venture along with three others – Mr Pankaj Guliani (who has a retail background), Mr Vijay Gupta (founder of ecommerce firm Qplexus) and Mr Arun Pandey (who is Dhoni's business partner and manager).
In the next few months, SportsFit plans to launch four more gyms in New Delhi, Faridabad and Chandigarh. Chief executive officer, Mr Pankaj Guliani said. “The long-term plan is to open 200 fitness centres in the next five years,” he added.
The company will initially run these fitness centres on its own by leasing out spaces. “We would look at expanding through the franchisee mode in the long term,” said Mr Guliani. According to him, each fitness centre requires investments worth Rs 6-7 crore. “It would mean an investment of Rs 1,200-1,500 crore in the next five years,” he said.
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