Fresh from the success of cricket's Indian Premier League, it seems that a new franchise is being set up in the country especially for footballers.

Arsenal legends Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg have agreed to take part in the tournament, due to start in January, while former Manchester United and Chelsea stars Peter Schmeichel and Marcel Desailly will manage one of the eight teams each.

Similarly to the IPL, clubs will bid for the services of players next month, with several other ex-Premier League stars being lined up.

David Beckham has been linked with the first-of-its-kind division, likely to be called the Indian Super League in the past, while Michael Owen and Thierry Henry are also in talks according to the Times of India.

Louis Saha is another who could feature, as well as former Argentina striker  Hernan Crespo.

Business giants IMG and Reliance are putting the money behind the project, along with Indian media company Star.

Uday Shankar, the CEO of Star India, said: 'India is hungry for its second sport. For far too long, the Indian sports fan has waited for this revolution.

'Our objective is nothing short of creating a movement around football in India. We want to put India on the global map.'