You see him in the stands for every match of the Kolkata Knight Riders .
Arjun Rampal, dressed in the team’s black and gold jersey, cheering for his good friend Shah Rukh’s team, with his other buddies Karan Johar, Farah Khan and Sajid Khan. For Arjun, the reasons are simple: one, SRK is a good friend and second, “I see where Shah Rukh has taken the IPL — his contribution has been great and we must support him.”

Arjun has been a cricketer since school. What then is his view that T20 is ‘not quite cricket?’ “It’s a sport,” he says,
“The change in the format is what’s making it exciting. And a lot more people are watching cricket because of this. Women, normally not cricket viewers, are now fascinated by it.” Arjun’s wife, former supermodel Mehr Jesia is one. “My wife couldn’t stand me watching cricket earlier. Today, she not only watches but calculates run rates and knows the rules,” he says.

Arjun has made many new cricketer friends. “They’re all great guys,” he says, “It’s great to see our Indian cricketers learning and interacting with international cricketers. Ishant is a really nice guy, Dada (Sourav) is great for the team: he looks after the youngsters, so does coach John Buchanan. The team was different with Ricky Ponting, Brendan McCallum and Chris Gayle there, it’s pity they had to leave. And Shoaib’s a huge influence — he’s quite a character, enjoys his game and has great energy.”

Wasn’t he worried about rooting for the Knight Riders over the Mumbai Indians with the recent controversy? “It’s not that I dislike the Mumbai Indians. I like Delhi too — I’m from there, after all. But it’s the Indian Premier League and we’re Indians first. See the EPL — you can support Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool and still be British. Next year, if players are traded, Sachin might play for Kolkata or Sourav for Mumbai! Soon the club culture that exists abroad will also catch on here.”

As for why SRK is such a popular team owner, the reason’s simple, says Arjun: “He’s a team player, whether in films, shows or cricket. He’s patient and caring. He looks at this as a sport — some days you win, others you lose. His leadership is great. Take Shah Rukh out of the IPL and it’ll be a great loss for them.”

The recent cricket season proved that Shah Rukh Khan is a true sportsman.

His team may have let him down, but there was never a frown on his forehead. The actor was there cheering his team all the way through, like true sportsman. In fact, after every defeat, SRK made it a point to party with the players just as he would when they won a match. The players may not have got the trophy for the owner but Shah Rukh made sure they went home with a neat packet and loads of gifts.

In fact his message box is full of smses from the players not only of his team but even other teams praising him as a human being and a sportsman. Now who can blame him for his rising popularity? In fact, his colleagues should learn a lesson or two from King Khan on sportsmanship!

Emraan Hashmi and Navjot Singh Sidhu are in the middle of a war of words.

And it all started when the commentator tried to defend cheerleaders, at the cost of Emraan, Bipasha, Salman etc. On the cheerleaders issue, Sidhu gave vent to his anger and said if Emraan’s onscreen kisses were permissible, the cheerleaders shouldn’t be banned either.

We asked Emraan what happened actually, and he said, “I believe Sidhu has a problem with me kissing in films. I have no idea what he has got to do with any of it, I’m not kissing him anyway.

And he had a problem with other actors too and scenes that are suggestive of intimacy on screen. But I guess these issues are best left to the censor board. They are the best judges of such matters.”

After starting off with a bang, Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders has turned into a nightmare for the superstar. Last night’s defeat on their home ground seems to have laid to rest any doubts about Kolkata Knight Rider’s exit from the race for the DLF IPL trophy. It is now becoming clear that the real reason for the team’s losing streak is the differences between the Bengal Tiger Sourav Ganguly, the Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper and Shah Rukh Khan, arguably Bollywood’s biggest star and the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders. The duo have differences over various aspects of the game including team selection, team combination and player selection. Shah Rukh Khan has also been trying to have a say in whether his team should bat or bowl first.

Reports indicate that the differences sprung in the initial stages itself. While Sourav wanted more batsmen to strengthen the team’s batting line-up, Shah Rukh Khan was keen on more bowlers. Both had differences of opinion about which players to acquire for the team. Shah Rukh Khan and the team coach John Buchanan have been overruling Sourav Ganguly’s judgement in several areas. Ganguly wanted Adam Gilchrist to be part of his team as wicket-keeper and opening batsman while coach John Buchanan talked Shah Rukh Khan into bidding for Brendon McCullum instead. This made a big difference as McCullum had to return on national duty after the initial matches. His departure has further weakened the already weak batting line up.

Not being able to acquire as many batsmen as he would have liked to has made it difficult for Sourav Ganguly. Speaking about the team losing to Rajasthan has admitted that his team’s batting was unimpressive. He said his bowlers have had to deal with smaller totals of their own team all through this tournament.

Shah Rukh Khan has been grappling with the entertainment tax in Kolkata. The local Bengal government levies this tax which has been exempt in all other states. The actor wanted Sourav Ganguly to speak to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and get the tax waived. Ganguly is known to be close to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya but has refused to intervene.

Shoaib Akhtar has been another point of disagreement for Shah Rukh Khan, Ganguly and Buchanan. While Buchanan was insistent that Shoaib Akhtar has yet to regain his form and should be kept out, Sourav Ganguly wanted Shoaib to play in the Rajasthan game. The coach prevailed and Shoaib AKhtar spent the evening in the dugout, biting his nails, watching his team go down.

Shah Rukh Khan is very keen that Kolkata Knight Riders should bounce back and is said to be very unhappy with the current state. The drubbing which his team got in the match against Mumbai Indians, when they were all bowled out for 67 has specially annoyed him. Shah Rukh Khan has indicated that the coach will have greater powers from the next season to decide the team strategy as he is clearly more experienced than the players and can increase the team’s chances of winning.

Shah Rukh Khan has attended all the matches played by Kolkata Knight Riders on their home ground barring yesterday’s match giving further rise to the speculation that he has fallen out with Ganguly.

Success comes at a cost and Preity Zinta knows it. Her jadoo ki jhappis to her boys in the Mohali team after their every win, are making news but what people have forgotten are the jibes that came her way when she first got into the business of cricket.

She was mocked as the girl who hardly understood the game but had bought a team, she was sneered at when the VIP box during her matches was strangely bereft of any VIPs and Ness’ mother Maureen Wadia reportedly even wondered if her son would be a victim of fraudulent practices after investing in the IPL team with her. With all the success that her team has gathered and her Cannes appearance, a lot of people have to eat crow, and PZ has something to crow about. Here’s all…

‘You need to have that kind of stature to reach Cannes’: I was supposed to walk the red carpet at Cannes but I missed it because my flight was delayed. And to think I flew some 17 hours for that one appearance! But I did attend the dinner and the next day’s event.

I enjoyed Cannes because I got to play an actress after so long. These days, IPL sees me dressed in tees-jeans and no make-up. Here, I wore a designer gown, emeralds and a 1930s hairstyle. For me, the red carpet is about looking like a complete doll. If I do this kind of thing here, people will think I am crazy. Also, you need that kind of stature to be at an event like Cannes. There, I met Cate Blanchett, Misha Barton, Gillian Anderson among others. Also, when I was out shopping in Cannes, a group of French women came to me and called me Zaara as they had seen Veer-Zaara. India is sure going places!

‘Cricket is my passion now’: I am back so soon from Cannes because I won’t miss IPL for the world. I never thought that it would become my passion. I never expected to get so attached to the game. Its highs are so high and its lows are so low! The boys are great but they will make mistakes sometimes. And it is terrible when they do. Such is the madness of the game that I forget I am an actress and I have a certain protocol to follow in front of those 40,000 spectators. It is just too real for me to keep any appearances. In fact, I still remember the way I was looked at when I entered the dressing room for the first time. When I asked everybody what was the issue, they told me they have never had a woman in the dressing room before.

‘Who has time for films now?’: It is not sensible to make films with IPL in full flow. If everybody is hooked on to matches, who will go and watch films? But that doesn’t mean I have lost interest in Bollywood or I am not that great an actress anymore. I have an amazing line-up of films in my kitty. The minute IPL gets over, I have Har Pal, The Last Lear, Heros and Heaven on Earth releasing. And there is a surprise movie that I shall start shooting for very soon. Also, I have the world tour with the Bachchans in the offing.

‘This series is an emotional experience for me’: IPL is a very emotional experience for me. It is my first business venture and I have put my hard-earned money in to it. I have worked really hard to earn it all… dancing in minus four degrees in a thin chiffon saree is not easy. People have spoken about how my friends are not there to cheer my team. Well, I have told them that they are most welcome if they want to come. But I don’t need anyone to stand with me and cheer. I can stand on my own, be out there and do it for myself. I have that conviction. If people choose to come along with me, it’s great. However, I don’t have any expectations.

Shah Rukh Khan’s message to the officials who have a problem with his presence in the dug-out area
 
It’s not easy being a celebrity. Shah Rukh Khan is living proof of that. The actor rarely gets upset, but when his authority is challenged, King Khan roars loudly.

On Sunday, the actor was told to keep a safe distance from his team. The Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC  told the KKR owner that he should not be in the players’ dressing room and their dug-out was out of bounds too.

Yesterday, IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi briefed the media on allowing owners of IPL teams access to dug-out area for unlimited time, there was a rumour that Shah Rukh and other owners would have only fifteen minutes of time in the specified area.

No issue?

When asked about the controversy Shah Rukh says, “I have no issue with them. Nor do I need to ask for 15 minutes etc to meet with the team I own. Only IPL or IMG or whoever is in charge of stuff on grounds should inform their officials from ICC or whatever other agency they are from, about the rules before they question someone who has all the accreditations, passes or permissions with him/her and incidentally, happens to be the owner of the team too.”

The actor feels he is being targetted because he is a celebrity, “It’s quite prevalent now to take on a known personality and behave high-handedly so that one gains some form of personal importance. It’s happened a few times before, during the matches too.

I decided to be civilised about it, in the larger interest of my team’s morale and state of mind especially when they were down. Someone sent me a message yesterday if you want to lead the orchestra you have to learn to turn your back to the crowds.

I guess I will turn my back on this one too and keep trying to make the music that makes sense to me and that gives me very little time to answer to these loud regulatory noises around me don’t walk here, don’t enter the dressing room, don’t dance there, don’t meet players! Hey!

How about don’t mind my business, try and mind yours more efficiently for a change that will be more helpful. Now if I want to meet my team I will do so at my house, or in their hotel, not on the grounds for 15 minutes!”

NEW DELHI: ICC on Monday appeared surprised at film star Shah Rukh Khan’s statement that its anti-corruption unit had asked him not to be with the team on the playing field, saying that the IPL tournament was being played under BCCI’s rules and regulations.

The ICC said the IPL was a domestic tournament and the game’s governing body did not have any role in formulating the rules.

“The reported incident has nothing to do with the ICC as IPL is a domestic tournament which is being held under the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI,” an ICC spokesman said from Dubai.

“Furthermore, the ICC Board in its meeting held in Dubai on 17-18 March had decided that IPL will introduce a code of conduct, an anti-corruption code and an anti-doping code that complies with ICC regulations,” he said.

Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan last night expressed disappointment, claiming he had been barred by the ICC anti-corruption unit from going to the team dug out and dressing room in the remaining IPL matches.

“I like to hang around with the boys. I am very energetic. I am very disappointed that the ICC has stopped me,” he said.

“I don’t know the ICC rules. I’ll tell only one thing. Nobody dare stop me from coming to Kolkata. I’ll be here whenever my team plays a match at the Eden,” Khan said.

Asked whether Shah Rukh needed an accreditation for the IPL matches, the ICC spokesman said, “Everybody needs an accreditation and these are in line with anti-corruption code. BCCI is following anti-corruption code. Now I don’t know what modifications they have made to the code.”

Knight Riders CEO Joy Bhattacharya played down the event and said Shah Rukh was actually stopped by security personnel for not carrying a visitors’ pass.

“Look there is nothing like that. It was a gentleman from the security who stopped Shah Rukh Khan. He said Shah Rukh didn’t have a valid visitor’s pass…I don’t think there is any controversy or issue,” he said.

He said the ICC rules were to make sure that bookies didn’t enter the dressing room.

“When these rules were framed, the concept of franchisee owners’ domestic tournament didn’t even come, the law was not framed to stop people like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Mukesh Ambani or Vijay Mallya from walking into the dressing room,” he said.

“According to even ICC regulations, there is a system of visitor’s pass, the manager and team management sign it. The person can be allowed in the dressing room as long as it is signed by. So there is no way to stop Shah Rukh from entering the dressing room,” Bhattacharya added.

KOLKATA: Former Indian captain Mohd Azharuddin on Monday said that Soruav Ganguly was still ‘good enough’ to play ODIs and Twenty20 formats of cricket.

“He is still good enough for the shorter versions of the game,” Azhar said at a function where Ganguly was felicitated for playing 100 Tests and 300 ODIs for India.

Recalling Ganguly’s phenomenal talent, Azhar said “When I first saw him during an ODI at Manchester, I thought he can do it, he can go a long way”.

Referring to Ganguly’s century at Lords on debut, he said “I felt very impressed by the century, as he looked like someone with six to seven years’ experience in Tests. The innings was that matured”.

Again going down memory lane, Azhar said “When he played with me, he never wanted to stand close-in, but nowadays I see him standing close-in and doing well”.

Azhar professed the Kolkata Knight Riders would go to the final under Ganguly’s leadership.

Ganguly also exduded confidence that his side would come out of the rough times. “My team is going through bad times, but we will come out of it.”

Asked what motivated him to keep going, Ganguly said “It’s my love for the game. Ask the same question to Rahul and Sachin and they will say the same thing

KOLKATA: Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan on Sunday night expressed disappointment at the ICC Anti Corruption Unit barring him from going to the team dug out and dressing room in the remaining matches.

“I like to hang around with the boys. I am very energetic. I am very disappointed that the ICC has stopped me. I don’t know the ICC rules. I’ll tell only one thing. Nobody dare stop me from coming to Kolkata. I’ll be here whenever my team plays a match at the Eden,” Khan said.

Earlier in the day, the Anti Corruption Unit officials had cautioned the actor about going into the dressing room and the team dug out during the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings.

Sources said later they directed the matinee idol to stay away from these areas in the remaining matches of his team.

Asked about the Knight Riders’ defeat against the Chennai side, he said, “You play the game to win. We feel sad when the boys lose. But such things happen.

“I work hard. I want them to work harder. I would have liked the Kolkata Knight Riders to reach the final,” he said.

On the Knight Riders’s success as a brand, SRK said “With the help of colleagues we’ve done something for this. Still there is a long way to go before it becomes the number one sporting brand”.

Khan said he was overwhelmed by the response of the Kolkata public and conceded the gate sales had fetched him twice the amount he had expected.

This might give Anbumani Ramadoss more reason to rant against celebrities smoking in public places. But a hassled Shah Rukh Khan could not have worried less about the Union Health Minister’s feelings on Friday evening; he had enough of his own as, one after the other, the batsmen of his IPL team Kolkata Knightriders made a quick exit from the crease at a packed Wankhede stadium and were bundled out for the lowest total yet in the tournament.

Barely had he finished his first smoke, when Mohd Hafeez was caught, prompting him to light another one, and as Wriddhiman Saha slashed into Tendulkar’s hands, SRK was anxious enough to pull one more out of the bag.

Post Race, Katrina Kaif has become the busiest actress in town.

So much so that in a bid to keep pace with her hectic schedule, the actress recently missed her flight to Bangalore. Katrina had to be there to cheer for business tycoon Vijay Mallya’s IPL team.

But alas, she could not make it on time to the airport. But that did not prove to be stumbling block for Katrina. Remember she is brand ambassador of none other than Vijay Mallaya’s IPL team?

And on learning about Katrina’s plight, the ace business quickly made arrangements and flew her down to Bangalore in his private jet.

“That’s the advantage of being a brand amabassador for Vijay Mallaya’s Royal Challengers IPL team. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have made it on time. You know they will make sure that you reach despite the maddening schedules,” Katrina laughed. Wow! Do we see other actresses getting jealous already?

If all goes well, Salman Khan will perform at the Indian Premier League (IPL) final, to be held at Y R Patil Stadium (Nerul) on June 1. We hear Salman will perform the music video of his upcoming reality show 10 Ka Dum live and also shake a leg to one of his filmi songs.

A source says, “The IPL tournament has been a huge hit right from the beginning. Salman’s performance will be the icing on the cake.”

So, will Salman perform during the break or before the match begins? “No, Sallu won’t perform during the interval or before the match. Sallu’s performance will be a part of the closing ceremony. It will be a rocking item,” our source adds.

It is learnt that Salman has yet not rehearsed for his act during the IPL final. Right now, he is in Australia shooting for Main Aur Mrs Khanna. Our source adds, “Sallu does not need a rehearsal. He is too good. He can spontaneously start dancing at any given moment.”

And what about the possibility that the unpredictable Sallu backs off at the last minute? Just a few days ago, he refused to attend a film award function simply because he didn’t feel like it. “Now, that’s one thing that nobody can confirm. There’s no doubt that Sallu is very moody. So far, he has agreed in principle. Let’s hope for the best.”

Salman has already finished shooting four episodes of 10 Ka Dum, which is based on the American game show Power of 10. In true Sallu ishtyle, once he cycled all the way from Bandra to the shoot for the show at R K Studios in Chembur. A few days before that, he jogged down to Mehboob Studios for the show’s rehearsals. We hear Salman even cancelled the shoot of the music video of 10 Ka Dum simply because the workers were taking time to ready the set.

As of now, the IPL organisers can only keep their fingers crossed that the moody bug doesn’t bite Salman just before he is to perform at the final’s closing ceremony!

Buzz is that cricketer Sreesanth is about to sign a film and that too a Telugu movie. Although we are clueless about this project, National media is agog with the news that he has signed a Telugu film for new producers. According to the source, the news of the Telugu film was broken by Sreesanth himself.

Sreesanth is asked for just 15 days to shoot his scenes. The story is about a cricketer who turns into a star. Watch this space for more news…

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Wednesday sent a bill to Cricket Association of Bengal, Shah Rukh Khan-promoted Red Chillies Entertainment, owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team, and the Pepsi company to pay taxes.

Member Mayor-in Council (MMIC) Fayez Ahmed said that CAB has been asked to pay Rs 25 lakh to the KMC for amusement tax for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at Eden Gardens.

Red Chillies Entertainment and Pepsi company have been asked to pay advertisement tax of Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 68,000 respectively for putting up hoardings and banners at the Eden Gardens during the IPL matches, he said.

RANCHI: The Jharkhand high court on Wednesday dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) against Indian ODI cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni challenging the construction of a swimming pool in his house and fined petitioner Krishna Chandra Sircar Rs 1 lakh for moving the petition based solely on media reports.

The petitioner and others were also hauled up for a sharp practice that, the judges said, amounted to contempt of court.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Muthuswamy Karpagyavinayagam and Justice DGR Patnaik got upset after Dhoni’s lawyer produced a letter written by one of the signatories to the PIL, B P Sinha, asking the Indian skipper not to construct the swimming pool in his house even if the high court gave him the permission to do so.

The judges said this amounted to contempt of court. “Knowing that the matter was sub judice, how could anyone write such a letter to Dhoni?” the court wondered. For the gaffe, Sircar will be poorer by Rs 1 lakh. While Sircar’s counsel apologised to the court on behalf of Sinha, the judges nonetheless took a dim view of the transgression.

The judges were bemused when they learnt that all that Sircar had to show as proof of a swimming pool being built by Dhoni were a few newspaper clippings.

Interestingly, in the course of hearing the matter, the court on learning that the area where Dhoni’s house is being built faces water shortage, directed the Jharkhand government to install between 25 to 50 hand pumps.