Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 16 (IANS): Acclaimed director Priyadarshan Saturday said he is padding up to acquire a stake in the newly formed Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

"I am interested in this team and to that extend, we are having a business meeting to take forward our interest in acquiring stake in Kochi Tuskers. The first meeting is to take place in Mumbai on the 22nd of this month," Priyadarshan told IANS.

Priyadarshan, who is in the city as the newly appointed chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (Motion Picture Academy of the Kerala State), added: "It is basically my friends who are not in the film industry. Yes, we are serious in this, but then it depends on things like what is going to be the money involved and also the returns associated with it."

Cricket has been a passion for him since childhood, he says.

Priyadarshan was also roped in to direct the promo video of Kochi Tuskers when the team got the green signal to be one of the two new teams along with Pune Warriors for the fourth edition of the IPL.

The acclaimed director, who shifted to Bollywood after a successful run in the south, was circumspect about speaking on his innings as the Kerala film academy chief.

"It is just a day since I took over as the chairman and I am not going to make any claims about what I will do as chairman and what I won't. I will speak after I see for myself how the system in the academy works," said the director, who is busy finishing his first Malayalam film in eight years.

And not surprisingly he has teamed up with his lucky charm, superstar Mohanlal, in the comedy flick "Arabyium, Ottakavum P. Madhavan Nairum", which is slated for release Oct 26