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Shah Rukh Khan and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are two of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) biggest stories. But years before KKR became one of the most successful and popular teams in the tournament, Shah Rukh Khan was actually unsure about buying the franchise.
Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has revealed how the Bollywood superstar almost walked away from the opportunity that eventually turned into one of the biggest success stories in IPL history.
When the idea of IPL came into his life, Shah Rukh was among the Indian superstars approached to buy the IPL franchise, but he had several doubts because nobody knew whether it would become a hit or fail completely. But a major turning point came during an international cricket match in Jaipur.
Lalit Modi reveals the untold story as Shah Rukh Khan almost said 'No' to KKR
Recently, Lalit Modi revealed that he took Shah Rukh to the first ever international game played in Jaipur when he was the BCCI vice president. At that time, the IPL had not been launched, and he witnessed something extraordinary. The crowd's excitement around the Bollywood superstar was unbelievable.
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Fans were going crazy just to catch a glimpse of SRK, and his presence became one of the biggest attractions of the event. He realized that bringing together cricket and Bollywood could create something much bigger than a traditional sports league, as they could attract millions of additional viewers and make the tournament a complete entertainment package.
At that time, evening television in India was dominated by daily soaps and Bollywood-based programs. Modi understood that if they wanted IPL to succeed in prime time, it needed star power alongside cricket, and he decided to convince Shah Rukh Khan to own a franchise.
When SRK was not ready to invest Rs 20 crore
However, the actor was not ready to invest such a large amount of money in a sport he did not closely follow. Lalit Modi was quoted as saying by Humans Of Bombay, "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. 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.'”
Nokia sponsorship became the game-changer
To solve the problem, the former IPL chairman made a unique plan that worked out. A sponsorship arrangement between a mobile handset company, Nokia, and the Bollywood icon made the investment possible, with Modi saying Shah Rukh got the franchise for free.
Modi further shared, “A mobile company was 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?
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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. 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.”
How Shah Rukh Khan came on the board in just hours
Once the sponsorship deal was sorted out, Shah Rukh came on board, and that’s how the Kolkata Knight Riders were established. Modi added, “Shah Rukh put in the money, and a mobile company backed it up. At 12 o’clock, Shah Rukh wrote a check. By the evening, a mobile company wrote another check to sponsor the KKR consortium. That fell into place very well.”
Lalit modi in his latest interview 🎙️-: I took SRK to a rajasthan international game which was much before the ipl in jaipur and as soon as he appeared in stadium the whole crowd went berserk shouting for him, he was the highlight of whole match, that was the moment I decided to… pic.twitter.com/XEAYn9u6Y3
— daksh. (@mythicbxrn) June 2, 2026
The rest is history. Along with co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta (45% stakes), Shah Rukh (55% stakes) transformed KKR into one of the most successful teams in the franchise world. The franchise went on to win three IPL trophies and build a huge fan following across the world.
