Three strategic bidders and no private equity investors are still in the race to acquire PP world market leader and Europe's largest polyolefins producer Basell (www.basell.com), Hoofddorp / The Netherlands, according to a report in the Financial Times. The newspaper said the mammoth private equity consortium of Apollo, Blackstone, Bain und Goldman Sachs - once believed to have the inside track - is now out of the picture. With offers ranging from EUR 4.3-4.4 bn, the British Ineos Group, Iran's NPC and India's Haldia Petrochemicals are believed to have submitted the most attractive bids for the BASF-Shell joint venture.