"The first time I ever met Shah Rukh Khan, I had no idea who he was" - Pat Cummins' surprising revelation ahead of IPL 2025 auction
Australian captain Pat Cummins has made a surprising revelation of not knowing Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan when meeting him for the first time. However, the 31-year-old acknowledged that Shah Rukh had an aura around him, given he had guards accompany him more often than not.
One of the highest-paid actors in the world, Shah Rukh made his foray into the sporting industry by purchasing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of IPL 2008. The Knight Riders are one of the most popular IPL franchises and have lifted the trophy thrice.
Speaking in an Instagram video (@AnubhavTalks, via @Crick-logist on X), Cummins revealed that he hadn't watched a Bollywood movie as a teenager; hence, it was hard to recognize him. He said:
"This is going to get me in trouble but the first time I ever met Shah Rukh Khan, I had no idea who he was. I think I was 18 or 19 years old. I had never watched a Bollywood film. I met him and said this guy is cool, he's got a real aura around him, he had a few big security guards."
The Aussie speedster went on to enjoy a couple of stints with the Knight Riders too from 2014-2015 and 2020-2022.
"He would only ask us players to enjoy ourselves, to play with freedom" - Pat Cummins on Shah Rukh Khan
Cummins also heaped praise on the veteran actor for allowing players complete freedom and enjoy their game instead of pressurizing them due to the money involved. The New South Wales cricketer added in the same video:
"And it was more seeing the young Indian players so shy with him around and I was like this guy must be pretty special, always very funny, very cute in terms of a leader and owner of the team, you couldn't have asked for a better one.
"He would only ask us players to enjoy ourselves, to play with freedom. Lots of other owners have a lot of pressure upon themselves. To him to try and take away all the pressure is great."
As of IPL 2024, the Aussie star plays for the SunRisers Hyderabad and has been retained by the franchise ahead of the 2025 edition.