Mumbai, Nov 11 (IANS): Actor Shreyas Talpade has been named the brand ambassador of the Pune Marathas team for Champions Tennis League (CTL).

The inaugural CTL, to be played Nov 17-26, will take place across six cities in the country - Chandigarh, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi.

The 38-year-old, who became the latest Bollywood celebrity to join the trend of leading actors taking active interest in sports, said that he has always been a fan of tennis and has followed it closely.

“I'm honoured to be associated with Pune Marathas and have always been a fan of tennis. In my growing up days, I always wanted to play the game but at that time it was considered an elitist sport which my family could not afford,” he said in a statement.

“Tennis over the years has seen a dramatic change, not just growing by leaps and bound but has also become very accessible to all in India,” he added.

Apart from Pune Marathas, other CTL teams are Hyderabad Aces, Bengaluru Raptors, Delhi Dreams, Punjab Marshalls and Mumbai's as-yet untitled franchise.