Shahrukh Khan IPL: Seven Facts About Punjab Kings Debutant Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan IPL: Fans were in for a surprise when Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan’s namesake came into the IPL 2021 auction with a base price of INR 20 lakhs. By the time the auction ended, his price rocketed through the roof with Punjab Kings, rechristened from Kings XI Punjab from last season in a bid to change the fortune, shelving out a huge Rs 5.25 crores for his services.

More than the lucrative IPL contract he got in the IPL 2021 auction, what set Shahrukh Khan a hot cake across all the social media platforms was his name; the exact namesake of Bollywood’s heartthrob Shahrukh Khan.

The 25-year-old is set to make his IPL debut for Punjab Kings against Rajasthan Royals and just in case you are wondering who is Punjab Kings’ newbie, here are seven facts about PBKS debutant:

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IPL 2021: Shahrukh Khan Punjab Kings

Fact 1: A normal guy from Chennai, Tamil Nadu,

Born, May 27, 1995, and brought up in Chennai, Shahrukh Khan grew up playing cricket in his home city, including tennis-ball cricket.
Shahrukh Khan is a right-batsman and can bowl some off-spin as well.

Fact 2: Named After Bollywood Superstar Shahrukh Khan

In the part of India, South India, where Rajnikanth rules the roost, it’s not usual that a guy is named after a Bollywood actor.

But Shahrukh Khan’s maternal aunt is a big fan of Bollywood King Shahrukh Khan. That’s the reason why PBKS debutant has a namesake with the Bollywood actor. The 25-year-old has admitted that he has been at the end of some poor jokes due to his name. That’s in the past. Now he has carved out a name for himself.

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Fact 3: Cricket Runs In The Family

Cricket runs in the blood of Shahrukh Khan’s family. His father Masood Khan was also a cricketer, and his younger brother Akram Khan also plays cricket. However, his father failed to make it big in cricket but played league cricket in Chennai.

Fact 4: Waited for four years to make Ranji Trophy Debut In 2018

Shahrukh Khan went through a lot of setbacks early in his career. He failed to make the cut for India’s U-19 World Cup squad in 2014. In the same year, he made his T20 domestic debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. he hit 21 off just 8 balls on his debut, but played only four matches in the tournament.

During the 2014-15 season, he was selected for Ranju Trophy, but his debut came four years later, in 2018.

And it was a debut to remember for Shahrukh Khan. Coming into bat when Tamil Nadu were looking over their shoulder at 81 for 5 against Kerala, Shahrukh played a crucial inning of unbeaten 92 runs and helped Tamil Nadu to post 268. Tamil Nadu won the game by 151 runs.

Fact 5: Failed Trial At Mumbai Indians

After making a name in the domestic circuit, Shahrukh Khan attended a trial at Mumbai Indians hoping to make it big with the most successful IPL franchise. But he failed to impress the MI hierarchy. To make matter even worse, he injured his finger and his IPl dreams were delayed even further.

Fact 6: No Buyers In IPL 2020 Auction

After impressing in the domestic T20 leagues and Tamil Nadu Premier League, Shahrukh Khan threw his name in the IPL auction but failed to find a single suitor.

Fact 7: Starred In Tamil Nadu’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Campaign

Shahrukh Khan played a crucial part in Tamil Nadu’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign which was the first title for the city since the 2006/07 season. The highlight of the tournament was Shahrukh Khan’s blistering inning of unbeaten 40 off just 19 balls.

IPL 2021: Shahrukh Khan PBKS

The fact that Shahrukh Khan was handed his IPL debut in the very first game shows how much Punjab Kings (formerly known as Kings XI Punjab) trust his skills. There’s no looking back for the 25-year-old if he holds his own against RR and has a debut to remember. An Indian Cricket team call is not out of reach.