The latest season of Shark Tank India has been buzzing with speculation over Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal’s absence from the panel of sharks. The rumours began when rival Swiggy was announced as a key sponsor of the show. The chatter gained further traction after Goyal quipped at a public event that he had been “kicked out” of the programme.
During the press event for the new season, the sharks were asked whether this situation caused concern and whether they were considering adding clauses to their contracts to prevent similar occurrences.
Viraj Bahl, the newest shark and founder of Veeba, addressed the topic with humour. “I am only happy. Deepinder gaya toh mere ko jagah mil gaya (Because Deepinder left, I got this spot). I can write a thank-you note to Zomato,” he joked.
Danish Khan, Business Head of Sony LIV and StudioNext, dismissed the rumours, clarifying that Swiggy’s founders are not part of the show. “Everything that comes in newspapers is not always true,” he stated. “We would love to have him [Deepinder] at some point. There are around 50 episodes, and scheduling depends on the sharks’ availability as they run their organisations. I won’t say much, but there’s no such thing as reported. We hope to see all our sharks return in the future.”
Aman Gupta, co-founder and CMO of boAt, one of the original sharks, shared his perspective. “Aisa kuch nahi hai (There’s nothing like this). I’ve been on this show for four seasons without sponsoring it. The makers chose us and made us sharks, and I feel indebted to them. Sharks will come and go—hopefully, not me (laughs). That’s just life.”
The season’s panel of sharks includes Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Namita Thapar (Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Vineeta Singh (SUGAR Cosmetics), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO), Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts), Varun Dua (ACKO), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal and Titan Capital), and Viraj Bahl.
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