[Watch] "Ask him why did they not retain me" - Shubman Gill's cheeky banter with Ed Sheeran on not being retained by Shah Rukh Khan's KKR in the IPL
Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill was seen having a cheeky conversation with famous English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran over not being retained by Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL.
Gill was part of the Kolkata franchise from 2018 to 2021 and tasted decent success. However, he was not retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. Subsequently, the talented batter was bought by Gujarat Titans and was named captain for the 2024 season after Hardik Pandya moved to Mumbai Indians.
On Friday, April 5, Sheeran shared a video of his meeting with Gill and comedian Tanmay Bhat during his Mathematics Tour in March 2024 on his YouTube channel. A clip from the video is going viral on social media where Gill is heard telling Ed Sheeran in a lighthearted tone that he must ask Shah Rukh why he [Gill] wasn't retained by the franchise. The viral conversation went as follows:
Ed Sheeran: "I am going to Shah Rukh's house tonight."
Shubman Gill: "I used to play for his team."
Ed Sheeran: "Did you? He has a team!"
Tanmay Bhatt : "Yes, Kolkata Knight Riders."
Shubman Gill: "Ask him why did they not retain me."
Ed Sheeran and Bhatt found the one-liner very funny and burst out in laughter. Bhatt went on to enquire about the musician's interaction with Shah Rukh as the conversation took a serious turn.
Shubman Gill has had a mixed start to his stint as GT captain
Gill was named the captain of the Gujarat Titans franchise after Pandya moved back to his original IPL team - the Mumbai Indians. Under the 24-year-old, GT have had a mixed run in IPL 2024. The Titans have played four games, winning two and losing as many.
They began their campaign with a six-run win over Mumbai Indians at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. GT were then hammered by defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 63 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Gujarat Titans registered their second win of IPL 2024 by getting the better of SunRisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in Ahmedabad. In their fourth game, they were stunned by Punjab Kings by three wickets in a high-scoring thriller in Ahmedabad.
On the personal front, Gill has scored 164 runs in four innings at an average of 54.67 and a strike rate of 159.22. The right-handed batter slammed 89* off 48 against Punjab Kings.