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When the Indian Premier League was still a bold idea on paper, convincing celebrities to invest in cricket teams was far from easy. Former IPL chairman and ex-BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi has now shared how Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan initially hesitated to buy what would later become one of the league’s most successful franchises, the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Speaking in an interview with Humans of Bombay, Modi recalled how a combination of cricket, entertainment, and a clever sponsorship arrangement eventually helped bring the actor into the IPL fold.
Cricket latest How a Jaipur match helped turn Shah Rukh Khan into an IPL team owner
According to Modi, the turning point came before the IPL was launched. He took Shah Rukh Khan to an international cricket match in Jaipur and witnessed a crowd reaction that changed his thinking about the future of Indian cricket.
“I took Shah Rukh to a game in Rajasthan when I was BCCI vice-president. It was the first international match ever played in Jaipur. This was before the IPL; I think about a year earlier. I saw the crowds go absolutely hysterical when he arrived. He became the highlight of the match,” he said in an interview with Humans Of Bombay.
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The overwhelming public response convinced Modi that cricket and Bollywood together could create a new kind of sporting spectacle. The experience helped shape a key pillar of the IPL’s business model — celebrity franchise ownership.
Cricket latest Why Bollywood Was Crucial to IPL’s Success
Modi explained that he had already tapped into the traditional cricket advertising market through the BCCI. To make the IPL a larger entertainment product, he needed to attract audiences who were spending their evenings watching television serials and Bollywood-focused shows.
“In India, two things sell — cricket and Bollywood. I had already brought in the money associated with the cricketing world and advertisers for BCCI. The rest of television advertising was going into the saas-bahu world and programming centred around Bollywood.”
He said the biggest challenge was capturing prime-time television audiences.
“To make the IPL successful, I needed that 8 pm time slot. I was going head-to-head with some of the biggest television shows in the country. Cricket had never really been a night-time product. Even T20 world cup was also a daytime product. I was taking a huge risk by creating a prime-time night event.”
Cricket latest Shah Rukh Khan Had One Major Concern
Once Modi decided that Shah Rukh Khan would be the ideal face of a franchise, he approached the actor with the proposal. However, the Bollywood star was not immediately convinced.
“Who better than Shah Rukh Khan to own a team? The funny thing was that Shah Rukh didn’t like cricket and didn’t really understand cricket. He is a football fan. When I told him I wanted him to buy a team, he was apprehensive. He said, ‘I don’t understand cricket.’ I told him to leave that to me and that I would ensure the right team and system were put in place.”
The actor’s hesitation was not limited to cricket knowledge. Modi said Shah Rukh was also worried about the financial investment required.
“He asked me, ‘If I happen to win a team, how much is it going to cost?’ I told him the down payment would be Rs 20 crore. He replied, ‘But that’s a big part of my savings account.’”
Cricket latest The Sponsorship Deal That Changed Everything
To ease those concerns, Modi said he explored a sponsorship arrangement involving a handset company that wanted Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador.
“There was a company called a mobile company that made handsets. They were desperate to have Shah Rukh as their brand ambassador, but he wasn’t interested. I couldn’t interfere in his endorsement business. So I asked a mobile company, if Shah Rukh were to win a team, would they sponsor the front of the jersey? I told them I could guarantee Shah Rukh would wear their shirts and caps, and asked if they would pay a $5 million advance. They said yes.”
According to Modi, the sponsorship commitment effectively reduced the financial burden of acquiring the franchise.
“It was a win-win for a mobile company if Shah Rukh owned a team. It was a win-win for Shah Rukh if a mobile company became the front-shirt sponsor. He basically bought it for free.”
Cricket latest A Franchise That Became an IPL Giant
Modi also claimed that the deal came together within a matter of hours.
“Shah Rukh put in the money and a mobile company backed it up. At 12 o’clock, Shah Rukh wrote a cheque. By the evening, a mobile company wrote another cheque to sponsor the KKR consortium. That fell into place very well.”
Years later, the gamble appears to have paid off. Co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and businessman Jay Mehta, the Kolkata Knight Riders have grown into one of the IPL’s most recognised teams. With multiple championship titles and a massive global fan following, KKR remains one of the league’s biggest success stories—born from an idea that Shah Rukh Khan almost walked away from.