With only a few months left until the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season kicks off, IPL founder Lalit Modi gave a glimpse into the origins of what has become the world’s biggest cricket tournament. Modi discussed Shah Rukh Khan’s role in the league and how the actor became the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Although KKR has grown into one of the most beloved teams, Modi revealed that KKR wasn’t Khan’s first choice. The actor had initially tried to acquire franchises in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad before finally settling on Kolkata.
In a conversation with Raj Shamani on his podcast, Lalit Modi explained that anyone could bid for any team during the initial IPL auctions. He revealed that Shah Rukh Khan was particularly interested in bidding for teams in Ahmedabad or Mumbai, but his bid was lower, so he ended up acquiring Kolkata Knight Riders instead.
Modi shared that Mumbai was Khan’s first choice, but Mukesh Ambani secured it. Bangalore was SRK’s second choice, but it went to Vijay Mallya, and his third choice was Delhi, which also went to another bidder.
Modi noted that SRK’s bid was around 70-80 million, while the bids for these cities were around 100 million. Kolkata, at 85-87 million, was where Shah Rukh Khan’s bid succeeded.
In the same interview, Modi acknowledged Shah Rukh Khan’s importance to the IPL, stating that his involvement helped attract women and children to the game, which was crucial for the tournament’s success in terms of viewership.
He said, “For me, Shah Rukh was going to bring in women and children into the game. Women and children were extremely important for IPL to click in terms of viewership.”
He further explained how SRK’s presence impacted the IPL’s growth, “In year one, we had to pay celebrities to attend. By year two, they came on their own. By year three, they wanted to be invited because everyone wanted to be part of the game.”
Modi also mentioned that after SRK’s involvement, other celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, and others became brand ambassadors, further boosting the IPL’s popularity.
