Shah Rukh Khan, the confident KKR owner, reacts to speculations over tourney closure
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; November 26, 2016)

For Shah Rukh Khan, cricket is not business. He says he didn’t get into it for commercial reasons, although his team, Kolkata Knight Riders is among the most successful. “It was a love for the game that made me invest time and money. We will never sell KKR,” he says.

The Indian Premier League (IPL), seen as a cash cow for the Board of Cricket Control in India ( BCCI), has been a child of controversy. While the spot fixing cloud continues to loom, failure of the monsoon brought bad news for it last season when 13 matches were moved out of Maharahstra due to water scarcity. This April, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had told a group of journalists that members of IPL’s governing council were likely to deliberate on whether the 2017 edition of the tournament could be held outside the country.

“I don’t think IPL will fold up. I think the information is incorrect. Because if that’s going to happen, I need to run away from this interview and look into the matter,” the actor laughs.

Apart from cricket, SRK is passionate about other sports too. “Several actors have invested in football and kabbadi and I always make it a point to go when I have the time and watch their teams play.” He admits he could consider investing in a football team next. “I was looking at the Kolkata franchise [in the Indian Super League], but unfortunately, things didn’t work out. If it happens, I am game.”