Punjab Kings roped in Tamil Nadu youngster Shahrukh Khan at the 2021 IPL Auction last month.
Named after the Bollywood star on the suggestion of his mother’s cousin – who is a die-hard Shah Rukh Khan fan – the batsman now wants to let the willow do the talking.
The re-branded Punjab outfit also bought Dawid Malan and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta was happy to have him on board. “He was on our list. He is a fantastic player and we are thrilled to have him. We got really, really lucky with him,” she said.
When asked about her approach to picking uncapped players, Preity said: “There’s a lot of research that goes behind it. You literally have to pick players that fit your slots, all the weaknesses you had in the previous years, you try to make your strengths in the coming auction.”
“But yes, there is going to be a big auction next year, they’re going to be different rules for it so we don’t know yet… So we’re taking it as this particular season and see how things go.”
When you get a certain "Shahrukh Khan" in your side 😉😉 @PunjabKingsIPL @Vivo_India #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/z4te9w2EIZ
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 18, 2021
Meanwhile, the Mohali-based franchise’s CEO Satish Menon has finally revealed the reason behind picking Shahrukh for a whopping ₹5.25 crore.
“Shahrukh Khan is a really exciting talent. A player we had a good look at from domestic tournaments. The way he recently played in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was a glimpse of what he is capable of and we are confident that he is someone who will be there for us for a long. Shahrukh has the ability to finish games and we were looking at someone with similar traits. Really happy to get him,” Menon said.
Shahrukh was in sublime form in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and he made a major hand in Tamil Nadu winning the title for the second time. His unbeaten 40 off 19 balls in the quarterfinal of the tournament against Himachal Pradesh was one of the highlights of this year.
In the domestic circuit, Shahrukh is known as one of the best finishers going around. “He is a game-changer and a match-winner,” according to Tamil Nadu coach D. Vasu.
