“I took Shah Rukh to a game in Rajasthan when I was BCCI vice-president.
“Who better than Shah Rukh Khan to own a team?
He then recalled a proposal involving mobile phone giant Nokia, which was looking to sign Shah Rukh Khan as a brand ambassador.
They were desperate to have Shah Rukh as their brand ambassador, but he wasn’t interested.
That fell into place very well.”KKR, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan along with actress Juhi Chawla and businessman Jay Mehta, went on to become one of the IPL’s most recognisable franchises.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is today one of the world’s biggest sporting leagues, attracting billions in broadcast deals, sponsorships and fan engagement. But when the tournament was being conceived in the mid-2000s, its architect, Lalit Modi, knew he needed more than just cricket to make it a success.
In a recent conversation with Humans of Bombay, the former IPL chairman and vice-president of the BCCI recalled how he convinced Shah Rukh Khan to become a team owner, eventually leading to the formation of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), one of the league’s most popular franchises.
According to Modi, the idea was born after he witnessed the kind of frenzy Shah Rukh generated among cricket fans during an international match in Jaipur.
“I took Shah Rukh to a game in Rajasthan when I was BCCI vice-president. It was the first international match ever played in Jaipur. This was before the IPL; I think about a year earlier. I saw the crowds go absolutely hysterical when he arrived. He became the highlight of the match.”
Lalit Modi said that observation reinforced his belief that combining cricket and Bollywood could be the key to building a successful franchise league.
‘In India, cricket sells and Bollywood sells’
Explaining the thinking behind the IPL’s business model, Modi said he had already tapped into most of the traditional cricket advertising market through BCCI. To make the new tournament work, he needed to compete directly with prime-time television entertainment.
“In India, two things sell — cricket and Bollywood. I had already brought in the money associated with the cricketing world and advertisers for BCCI. The rest of television advertising was going into the saas-bahu world and programming centred around Bollywood.”
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He added that securing the 8 pm prime-time slot was crucial to the league’s success.
“To make the IPL successful, I needed that 8 pm time slot. I was going head-to-head with some of the biggest television shows in the country. Cricket had never really been a night-time product. Even T20 world cup was also a daytime product. I was taking a huge risk by creating a prime-time night event.”
Modi said the strategy required celebrity owners who could attract audiences beyond traditional cricket fans.
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‘Shah Rukh Khan didn’t like cricket’
Recalling his conversation with Shah Rukh Khan, Lalit Modi revealed that the actor was initially hesitant because he was not a cricket enthusiast.
“Who better than Shah Rukh Khan to own a team? The funny thing was that Shah Rukh didn’t like cricket and didn’t really understand cricket. He is a football fan. When I told him I wanted him to buy a team, he was apprehensive. He said, ‘I don’t understand cricket.’ I told him to leave that to me and that I would ensure the right team and system were put in place.”
Modi said Shah Rukh’s next concern was financial.
“He asked me, ‘If I happen to win a team, how much is it going to cost?’ I told him the down payment would be Rs 20 crore. He replied, ‘But that’s a big part of my savings account.'”
How a Nokia sponsorship helped seal the deal
According to Lalit Modi, he was also thinking about how franchise owners could recover their investments while ensuring the league attracted sponsors, broadcasters and advertisers. He then recalled a proposal involving mobile phone giant Nokia, which was looking to sign Shah Rukh Khan as a brand ambassador.
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“There was a company called Nokia that made handsets. They were desperate to have Shah Rukh as their brand ambassador, but he wasn’t interested. I couldn’t interfere in his endorsement business. So I asked Nokia, if Shah Rukh were to win a team, would they sponsor the front of the jersey? I told them I could guarantee Shah Rukh would wear their shirts and caps, and asked if they would pay a $5 million advance. They said yes.”
Modi claimed that the arrangement ultimately benefited both parties.
“It was a win-win for Nokia if Shah Rukh owned a team. It was a win-win for Shah Rukh if Nokia became the front-shirt sponsor. He basically bought it for free.”
He added that the deal came together remarkably quickly.
“Shah Rukh put in the money and Nokia backed it up. At 12 o’clock, Shah Rukh wrote a cheque. By the evening, Nokia wrote another cheque to sponsor the KKR consortium. That fell into place very well.”
KKR, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan along with actress Juhi Chawla and businessman Jay Mehta, went on to become one of the IPL’s most recognisable franchises. The team has since won multiple IPL titles and remains among the league’s most valuable and widely followed teams.
