Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Wasim Akram shared a striking anecdote about team co-owner Shah Rukh Khan during a recent interview amid IPL 2025. Akram, who was part of KKR’s coaching setup from 2010 to 2016, played a key role in their championship wins in 2012 and 2014.
Over the years, Shah Rukh Khan has frequently attended KKR matches, earning admiration from players and coaches alike. Wasim Akram echoed similar sentiments, recounting a memorable moment from the 2012 season to praise the Bollywood icon. Speaking to VU Sports (as reported by Indian Express), he said:
“I think this happened during the 2012 IPL season. Our knockout match was in Kolkata, and I remember we were going to arrive via, via some place. Shah Rukh Khan was there, so I asked him, ‘Khan saab, ek request hai(Mr Khan, I have a request)’. I said, ‘Ladke bade thak jayenge, hum kal pahunchenge, parso match hai.”
Akram further continued:
“Toh agar ek private plane (The team will get extremely tired. We’ll reach tomorrow, and the match is the day after. If a private plane could be arranged)…’ He said, ‘Thak jayenge ladke? Koi problem nahi (They’ll get tired you say, no problem)’. Within one hour, pura Boeing jahaaz khada tha for the whole team.”
KKR have struggled throughout their 2025 IPL season so far
KKR’s 2025 IPL campaign has been underwhelming, especially following their dominant run in 2024. Led by new skipper Ajinkya Rahane, the team has struggled with inconsistency from the start. They alternated between wins and losses over their first six games, but that pattern was broken with consecutive defeats in their seventh and eighth matches.
Their most recent clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) was abandoned due to rain, leaving them with just seven points from nine fixtures. Currently sitting seventh on the points table, KKR face an uphill battle to reach the playoffs and will likely need to win all five of their remaining league matches.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play their next match on April 29, 2025, against the Delhi Capitals (DC). The game is scheduled to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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