'I had no idea who he was...': Pat Cummins remembers when he first met Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh Khan and Pat Cummins at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 23, 2024. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: As co-owner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata knight riders (KKR), Indian film superstar Shah Rukh Khan often visits stadiums to watch his team play matches in the cash-rich tournament.
Under his ownership, KKR has seen ups and downs, winning the IPL title twice, in 2012 and 2014, led by Gautam Gambhir.
Despite a few challenging seasons since then, Shah Rukh Khan has been steadfast in supporting the team and has become a symbol of loyalty for KKR fans.
SRK‘s presence in the franchise has also attracted a global fan base, especially considering his star power in the world.
Australia cricket captain Pat Cummins made his IPL debut for KKR in 2014 and also played for them in the 2015 edition.
Cummins was bought back by KKR for Rs 15.5 crore in the IPL 2020 auction and also played for them in the 2021 and 2022 editions.
But in a viral video, Cummins says in a podcast that he didn’t know who Shah Rukh Khan was when he first met him.
Cummins says: “This is going to get me in trouble but the first time I met Shah Rukh Khan I had no idea who he was. I think I was 18 or 19 years old, I had never seen a Bollywood film I met him and said this guy is cool, he has a real aura around him, he had some big guards And it was more to see the other young Indian players so shy with him around, and I thought this man must be handsome special, always very funny, very cute, in terms of a leader and the owner of the team, you couldn’t have asked for a better one. He would only ask us players to enjoy, to live with freedom A lot of other owners have a lot of pressure on themselves, for him just to try to take all the pressure away is big.”

Pat Cummins has opted out of the 2023 IPL season to focus on national commitments and manage workload, showing his commitment to maintaining top fitness for international cricket.
In the 2024 IPL auction, Cummins was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 20.5 crore, making him the second most expensive player in IPL history after his teammate Mitchell Starc which was bought by KKR for Rs 24.75 crore.
SRH, led by Cummins, finished the 2024 tournament as runners-up after losing the final against KKR.