As the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off, an old video featuring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan from 2010 resurfaced on social media. In the video, Khan advocates for the inclusion of Pakistani cricket players in the annual T20 tournament, even going so far as to declare Pakistani cricketers as the “best T20 players.” This clip has regained attention amidst ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan.
The video, shared on Instagram by Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar, shows Khan, who is the co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, discussing the pressures faced by IPL teams during player selection. Khan expressed his disappointment when no Pakistani player received bids during an auction, describing it as “humiliating.”
He expressed his desire to have Abdul Razzaq on his team, saying, “I think it’s humiliating to me as a KKR owner that this has happened. We are known for being inclusive, and we should have been. I genuinely believe they should have been chosen. As a matter of fact, I’m not going to go against what everyone else is saying, but I wanted Abdul Razzaq. I think it was in the newspapers even before the auction began. Dada (Sourav Ganguly) was very keen on it.”
Khan pointed out that 11 Pakistani players were initially shortlisted for the IPL auction but none were ultimately selected. He suggested that the strained relations between the two countries may have influenced IPL franchises to be cautious in their player selections, stating, “I’m not making excuses, and I genuinely believe that Pakistani players are the best T20 players in the world. They are champions. They are fantastic. But somewhere along the line, there is an issue, and we cannot deny it.”
"Pakistani players are the best T20 player in the world" ~Shahrukh Khan SRK ❤️pic.twitter.com/ssNKUvEpk6
— Saeed Cricky🏏 (@SaeedCricky) March 28, 2023
Khan also highlighted the challenges faced by team owners in such situations, emphasizing that the issue should not be dismissed. He said, “There is an issue, we can’t just keep saying ‘Oh, there’s no issue, they could have come.’ There is an issue, and let’s not deny it. Every day we blame Pakistan, they blame us; it’s an issue.”
Khan’s comments gain significance given India’s recent decision to decline to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023. Despite efforts to promote cricket diplomacy, such as the resumption of bilateral cricket ties in 2012 and the formation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) cricket council, the relationship between the two nations remains strained.
The IPL has faced previous criticism for excluding Pakistani players. However, the league’s governing council has stated that player selection is solely based on talent and performance, without any political considerations. Fans, meanwhile, have expressed mixed reactions to Khan’s support for Pakistani players then and now.
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