Thread by @KShriniwasRao

It’s still raining in Johannesburg. Until play resumes, let me do an IPL #thread. This one is from my archives, 2009 and is an anecdote involving Shahrukh Khan. Those were years when I was still beginning to understand how a league works. What better to learn it from SRK! (1/25)

The first-ever IPL game had been set on fire by Brendon McCullum for the Kolkata Knight Riders on April 18, 2008 – 158 off 73 balls, 10 fours, 13 sixes. A strike rate of 216.43. I’ve rarely seen that kind of hitting (apart from Chris Gayle’s 175* in Bangalore, 2013). (2/25)

KKR began the party & SRK danced his way in the team owner’s box. It was a heady mix of cricket & Bollywood that helped the league first catch India’s imagination. As a journalist, I became very intrigued by how the business of IPL worked. SRK owning a team had its charm. (3/25)

What was the business of IPL going to be like? Would Bollywood & cricket make for a heady cocktail and change cricket – as we knew it – forever? Shahrukh was not just a movie star, but also a very sharp businessman. What did he think about the ‘sexing up’ of cricket? (4/25)

I had to meet the man & understand first-hand. But how? I was just another journalist with no connections in movie industry. Thus began an 18-month exercise in getting to say ‘hello’ to SRK. I realized, to understand IPL, it was imp to understand the men who designed it. (5/25)

So, I started engaging with his team, kept pestering for an interview. No response. KKR stood 6th in the IPL table in year 1. 8th in year 2. Things weren’t looking so good on the field. The more I tried to reach him, the more I failed. You guys remember FakeIPLPlayer? (6/25)

I used to keep sending emails / texts to his public relations team. I said, I wanted to understand why did SRK buy a franchise? Why Eden Gardens and not any other venue? Would IPL continue to dictate TV ratings? Was SRK-the-star’s popularity enough to keep KKR driving? (7/25)

Too many questions, no answers. Until one fine evening Jan 2010, my phone rang. It was from one of the core members of his team. I had written a dozen emails, made a few hundred calls and sent as many texts. Finally, all that effort seemed to have hit the bulls’ eye. (8/25)

“Shriniwas, come to BKC at 6pm. KKR is changing the colour of jersey from black n gold to purple n gold. He (SRK) is coming. I’ll just introduce you to him, rest, you have to take the conversation forward,” the voice on the phone said. I ran out my office & hailed a taxi. (9/25)

I reached the venue on time and saw there were at least 5000 people who had come to greet SRK. Hell, how would I even get a chance? I sat in a corner, not knowing what to do. SRK was unwell that evening, had fever. Some said he wasn’t coming. My face fell further. (10/25)

And suddenly, there he was. He went on to the stage, did a small gig, blew kisses, gave speech, launched the jersey and disappeared behind the stage. My face fell again. I began to think ‘yet another opportunity gone’, when someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. (11/25)

“Shriniwas, come with me. He has agreed to meet you,” the person said. I ran behind him and was taken to a floor where he was sitting with the KKR team. But all I could think of was about my questions for SRK. “Hello Mr Srinivasan,” he said. ‘Err… Shriniwas…” (12/25)

“Hi Shriniwas. Let’s sit out there in the balcony and talk.
Yo!
Out came his pack of cigarettes. He lit one (and I’m a smoker, who couldn’t smoke in front of him – imagine my distress, doubled by the anxiety of the conversation).
“So, ask what you want,” he said. (13/25)

The first thing I learnt about the man right there. It’s impossible getting through him. But once he says yes, he’ll talk, he won’t put conditions – things like, don’t ask me this, let’s not talk about that. No! Once he agreed to spk, he was open to answering everything. (14/25)

SRK is rare – I was only beginning to understand. You’ll see in this thread why I’m saying this. Plenty of wit, a superstar who defines the movie industry, shrewd businessman, sports lover, extremely hospitable – he was the package. Few understand market trends like him. (15/25)

Why did you buy a franchise? “So that I can run a business, learn to play cricket, dance for a packed Eden Gardens, promote movies. Nobody will have a problem with that (referring to Om Shanti Om controversy when BCCI objected him promoting movie during an India game)”. (16/25)

A Bollywood superstar owning a franchise. Is this the ultimate IPL package? – “No. My presence as team owner is probably going to help a bit at start. But eventually, it’ll have to be about cricket. KKR will eventually have to define itself for the cricket it plays”. (17/25)

IPL TV numbers have crashed the roof. How do these numbers work?
“Do you watch English Premier League? Does a Spurs vs Aston Villa game get the same numbers as a United vs Chelsea clash?”

SRK was just warming up… when his secretary came and said something in his ears. (18/25)

“Sorry Shriniwas. I have a meeting at home. I have to go,” he said. My face fell again…. Except this time, he probably sensed it. And, there again, I saw the superstar’s benign side… “Do you mind doing the interview in the car. We can drive home and have some coffee”. (19/25)

Hahahaha… why not!! In the last 10 years, I had gone to Bandra Bandstand walking, in bus, in a rickshaw, ‘kaali peeli’ cab, in my own car…. And that evening with Shahrukh Khan in his BMW. What he told me (correction: taught me) that evening are lessons for a lifetime. (20/25)

“Have you seen KBC when Bachchan saab started it? Such TV numbers were never recorded before. Numbers eventually dropped but does that mean popularity of KBC fell? No. After initial years, only those who wanted to continue watching KBC did. Same will happen in IPL”. (21/25)

“Wait for the day when same thing will happen in IPL,” SRK said. "Not everybody will watch a KKR-RR game or a Punjab vs Hyderabad. If you’re from Tamil Nadu, you’ll wait for a CSK match & probably watch the other games that clash with CSK’s points tally”.
This was 2010! (22/25)

“IPL will settle down & fans will have their own priorities, favourites. Fans alone will dictate popularity of teams. And teams will only define themselves by the successes they achieve on the field. There’ll come a time when nothing else, but cricket alone will matter”. (23/25)

“Today, there’s lot of distraction – like me owning a franchise, but that’s because any property requires initial promotion. This will fade. Eventually, public will accept IPL for what it must be. Like, a United fan will keep everything else aside ahead of a United game.” (24/25)

He took me home, offered coffee. Interview lasted around 3 hours. He must have finished smoking a dozen cigarettes (I still don't know what happened to his meeting). I wrapped up, said good bye and walked out of Mannat. Stood in front of the sea & lit my own cigarette. (25/25)