Shah Rukh Laughed As Lalit Modi Said IPL Would Be Bigger Than Films, MI Was His First Choice Not KKR

Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most versatile actors in Bollywood, whose charisma never fails to captivate the audience's hearts. Shah Rukh's acting skills have always left everyone in awe. Well, apart from leaving his fans screaming at the top of their lungs in the cinema halls, Shah Rukh's presence in the cricket stadiums also excites the fans. For the unversed, Shah Rukh is the owner of the franchise of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Ahead of IPL 2025, Lalit Modi recently shared how the actor landed in KKR after not being able to be the owner of other teams.

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Shah Rukh Khan wanted to bid for Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi but got Kolkata

The league’s founder, Lalit Modi, in a conversation with Raj Shamani, revealed that every individual can bid for every team of IPL. Lalit stated that SRK wanted to bid for the teams of Mumbai or Ahmedabad, but couldn't get it as he had put a low number. Lalit shared that Shah Rukh first wanted Mumbai, but Mukesh Ambani took it. Shah Rukh's second and third choices had been Bangalore and Delhi but that too went to someone else. Lalit remarked that SRK's bid was around 70-80 million, and Kolkata was around that bid only, for which he got that. In Lalit's words:

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"Every person could bid for all teams. Shah Rukh Khan’s main attraction was to bid for Ahmedabad or Mumbai. At that time, he didn’t get it, he put a low number. He got Calcutta. His first choice was Mumbai but Mukesh Ambani took Mumbai. Bangalore was SRK’s second choice but Vijay Mallya took it. His third choice was Delhi, but that too went to someone else. His bid was much lower. His was something 70-80 million, and all of these cities were 100 million. Calcutta was 85 -87 million and that’s what he got.”

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Lalit Modi reveals why Shah Rukh Khan is vital in IPL in terms of viewership

Going further in the interview, Lalit Modi mentioned that Shah Rukh Khan is vital for IPL, as his presence in the stadium brought along a lot of viewership. Lalit said that in the first year, they only had to invite the celebrities, and the next year the celebrities themselves came, while in the third year, celebrities wanted them to invite them to grace IPL. Lalit further mentioned that the celebrities brought a lot to the game, and after SRK, Deepika Padukone and Akshay Kumar were also appointed as the brand ambassador. In Lalit Modi's words:

"I said to myself to get people in the stadium, I need Shah Rukh Khan. In year one, we had to pay celebrities to come and attend. In year two, they came on their own. In year three, they wanted us to invite them to the game because everybody wanted to become a part of the game. In year 1, after they saw Shah Rukh Khan, somebody took Deepika as their brand ambassador, somebody took someone else as the brand ambassador, somebody took Akshay Kumar. Film stars brought a lot to the game.”

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Lalit Modi reveals how he convinced SRK to own a cricket team

In the same interview, Lalit Modi shared that the first time he asked Shah Rukh Khan to buy the cricket team, he said he knew nothing about the game. Lalit said that he was invited by Shah Rukh to play football with him and his son, Aryan Khan. Lalit mentioned that when he suggested SRK be present at each game, he replied that he had work commitments. When Lalit told the actor that IPL would be bigger than film, SRK laughed it off. Moreover, in 2017, SRK chipped in after Lalit helped Shah Rukh understand the system of bidding, auctioning, and forming the team.

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