(KKR X)
Shah Rukh Khan expressed his gratitude towards the Kolkata Knight Riders squad following their third Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph.
Attending the final match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, SRK and his family witnessed KKR’s dominant performance as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad to claim the prestigious title on Sunday, May 26.
Following the trophy presentation ceremony, a private award ceremony was organized by the KKR team inside the dressing room at Chepauk. As a co-owner, SRK was present for the occasion and was honored by the CEO of the Kolkata-based franchise, Venky Mysore.
In recognition of his unwavering support for KKR, Shah Rukh Khan was presented with a special memento, with Mysore describing his presence as a “game-changing moment” for the three-time IPL champions. SRK then took the opportunity to express his appreciation for every member of the KKR team.
The Bollywood icon also singled out Gautam Gambhir for special mention. Gambhir, who led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, returned to the franchise as a mentor for the 2024 IPL season, leveraging his strategic insights and extensive experience.
Shedding light on Gambhir’s influence on the success, SRK said, “I just have one request, which is my special thanks to Gautam Gambhir. I have not thanked him especially for. Two things we had discussed when we started maybe we can make him dance. Sunil has already crossed that boundary. I saw him dance. So we have to make GG dance tonight,” SRK was heard saying in a video dropped by KKR on X (formerly Twitter).
Shah Rukh Khan further revealed his wish to keep all the current players in the KKR team for the “rest of his life.” “Wherever we go ahead from here onwards, I wish you the best. And, I know, I speak on behalf of Jay, Juhi, Jahnavi, Suhana, Pooja, all of us, who love you so much that you make us very emotional. And, we wish we had this team for the rest of our lives. And you kept on listening to my speeches and playing like this,” the 58-year-old said.
Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders displayed remarkable dominance throughout the recently concluded IPL season. With just three defeats in the league stage, they secured the top spot on the table with 20 points. In the Playoffs, KKR continued their strong performance, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in Qualifier 1 and repeating the same result in the final.
