Harshit Rana, a young fast bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders, recounted a touching story about franchise co-owner Shah Rukh Khan after KKR’s triumphant IPL 2024 season. Rana, who had a standout season, was crucial to KKR’s third title win, taking 19 wickets in 13 matches.
However, Rana’s season wasn’t free from controversy. He received a one-match ban for a Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct during a match against the Delhi Capitals at Eden Gardens.
The young fast bowler made an animated gesture towards DC’s Abhishek Porel after taking his wicket, which resulted in his second penalty of the season. Previously, Rana had been fined 60% of his match fees for giving a flying-kiss send-off to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batter Mayank Agarwal.
After the ban, the 22-year-old shared a special moment with Shah Rukh Khan, revealing his emotional state. Feeling disheartened, Rana received encouragement from the Bollywood icon, who made a sincere promise to boost his morale.
“Oh Yes! After I got banned for one match, I was very sad and then Shah Rukh sir came to me and said ‘Tu tension mat le ye waali celebration Trophy ke saath karenge’ (Don’t worry, we will celebrate this with the trophy).”
“He promised me and made sure that we did that with the trophy and our team,” Harshit told the Indian Express.
SRK in love with his team’s performance 💜#KKRvSRH #IPLonJioCinema #IPLFinalonJioCinema #TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/6eWvce34ih
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 26, 2024
In keeping with his promise, Shah Rukh Khan orchestrated a flying kiss celebration with the entire KKR team upon their IPL trophy win. This action not only honored his commitment but also fostered unity among the team, creating a moment of collective happiness and camaraderie.
Harshit Rana played a pivotal role in ensuring KKR’s victory
Rana’s performance in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad was exceptional. He secured two wickets for a mere 24 runs in his four overs, which included a rare maiden over during the summit clash.
Following the final, KKR’s left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc praised the young fast bowler’s contributions, emphasizing his development and self-assurance over the season.
“Harshit is learning what his skills are capable of throughout this IPL. He seems pretty confident in his abilities. He started his season with the second-best team in this season (SRH). The right-arm seamer has bowled some tough overs and also crucial last overs and has taken a good amount of wickets this season as well,” Starc said.
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