Mumbai, Aug. 12 -- Mumbai: Bollywood stars and cricketing legends are betting on the National Stock Exchange's (NSE's) much-awaited public debut, buying its unlisted shares in recent months in the hope of cashing in on a potentially lucrative IPO (initial public offering). NSE's IPO is slated for later this year.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Gauri Khan are among the celebrities who have recently bought NSE's unlisted shares, three people with knowledge of the development said.

The rush comes as investors size up what could be one of India's biggest stock-market listings, even as options trading-responsible for the bulk of NSE's transaction revenue-faces tighter regulatory scrutiny.

NSE, t...