Indian Premier League and Cricket News by IPL Cricket Forum

Shah Rukh Khan the owner of IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders is worried over problems with IPL.

In an interview to the Kolkata News Paper ABP - Ananda Bazar Patrika he said - ““I never thought so many problems would crop up when I bought Knight Riders. I was not prepared for these circumstances. I do not want to blame any organisation or association. But, a rosy picture, removed from reality, was painted to me.”

According to SRK, he was given an “unreal and rosy” picture about the IPL by Lalit Modi and team when he had decided to take the plunge into this megabuck tournament. What has taken him completely off-guard is the response to his team’s matches at the Eden Gardens.

“I’m quite disappointed with ticket sales of the first day. I was really surprised that only 237 tickets had been sold at the counter. I am truly finding it difficult to accept this. I have never, till date, requested my fans to go and see my films. I am a bit surprised as to why, despite keeping the ticket prices low, people are not showing any interest,” a puzzled SRK said.

We don’t think SRK has much reason to worry about - people will definitely turn-up for the match. What is required at the moment for IPL to correct their adamant and arrogant media property approach. Someone should rise up to the occasion and prevent Lalit and his act of greed in trying to monopolize the media. And with Media coverage anything and everything is possible.

Shah Rukh Khan, proud owner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’, is in a dilemma.

Will he perform on the field at the IPL event, or will he be best placed with his antics in a studio for his new television show - Paanchavi Pass ? The dates of both shows clash.
Advertisers who have been kept out of the IPL arena are gearing up and cornering time slots on Paanchavi Pass . IPL’s 44-day cricket bonanza flags off on April 18 with 59 T20 matches.

Paanchavi Pass  is SRK’s new quiz show on Star Plus , which begins on the same date. It is to be telecast 8 pm onwards over the weekend. While Star Plus has signed on Airtel as the presenting sponsor for PP, Airtel’s competitor Vodafone is on board as presenting sponsor for IPL, to be telecast on Sony. This has initiated a battle of sponsorship between the broadcasters as SRK endorses Airtel too.

Despite the lukewarm response to SRK’s Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), Khan and Star are gearing up for PP. The show is an adaptation of an international television game show, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader ?

Incidentally, Bulldog Media and entertainment has licensed the format from the owner, Mark Burnett Productions. Synergy Adlabs is to produce the show in India.

The prize money on PP is Rs 5 crore, while that of IPL is several times more. Media agencies buying air time slots told TOI that PP will be set in a classroom-like ambience with five and 10-year-old kids as part of the audience.

If a contestant is stuck, he can refer to the audience who will act as his classmates. Cut to IPL. In this case, cricket on field will follow only after entertainment antics of fellow Bollywood personalities, and sizzling ‘item numbers’, both on and off the field.

Here is an exclusive glimpse of some IPL teams Mascots!

Hooglee - Knight Riders

DD (D2) of Delhi Daredevils

Moochu Singh - Rajasthan Royals

More to come in the following days!

After
receiving two consecutive jolts, Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar got his
share of much needed support from none other than IPL’s Kolkata Knight
Riders owner Shahrukh Khan. The Bollywood superstar made it clear that
he wants to find a way out so that Shoaib can play in the Indian
Premier League.

Shahrukh Khan clearly said, “I will talk to the
Board about this move taken by them. I want to know the reason behind
such a decision and I will try to see what best I can do.” SRK also
added, “Shoaib is banned from international cricket and IPL is not
international. So, I don’t know why he cannot play in the league.
Shoaib is very important for the team and I will talk to the
officials.” The Shoaib Akhtar saga seems to be never-ending. But words
from King Khan — the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders of which Shoaib is
a part of, can just reignite the hope for the bad boy and can set the
ball in motion for clearing the way for Shoaib’s participation in the
IPL.

Shahrukh Khan’s assertion came a few hours after
IPL’s Commissioner Lalit Modi made it clear that Shoaib can’t play for
the Knight Riders, expanding the net of Pakistan Cricket Board’s 5-year
ban on the speedster. Lalit Modi said, “Unless and until Shoaib gets
himself cleared from the 5-year ban, he can’t play in IPL. We can’t
allow a banned player to play in IPL. If one of our players would have
been banned similarly we wouldn’t have liked him to play anywhere else.
Ban on disciplinary grounds is a serious matter, till the time he is
cleared, we will give the ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’ an option to replace
Shoaib with another player.”

However,
Shahrukh’s words must have come as solace to Shoaib, who has been
making a case for himself. Shoaib had earlier said that he wants to
know where he has faultered for which he has been banned from playing
international cricket. He added, “I have done nothing wrong. If the
Board has banned me on disciplinary grounds, then the Board should
inform what wrong have I done.”

Bengal pacer Ranadeb Bose on Friday signed for the Kolkata Knight
Riders. Ranadeb thus completed the quota of four local players for the
Shah Rukh Khan-owned IPL team. Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Wriddhhiman Saha and
Sourashish Lahiri had earlier joined the Sourav Ganguly-led and John
Buchanan-coached team.