9 Indian celebrities who are cricket-mad

The cricket frenzy in India is very high. The masses love the game and put all their hearts to support their favorite teams. The madness is not limited to stadiums, pubs, and sports bars, it reaches the posh lives of the Indian celebrities too. Cricket and cinema are the two biggest obsessions in the country and both are deeply connected with the other. The actors and actresses are known to be avid followers of the game and have different ways of showing it. Some love playing it in their backyards and on the sets during shoots while some show up at the stadiums during important matches to support teams. A couple of others go a step ahead and have bought an entire franchise. 1. Shah Rukh Khan: Indian Bollywood actor and Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Rider’s co-owner Shah Rukh Khan. (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/GettyImages) There’s is no need to describe how much Shah Rukh Khan follows the game. Shah Rukh took his love of cricket to the next level when he bought a stake in IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. He also expanded his presence in the cricketing world after buying a part of CPL team Trinbago Knight Riders. He passionately cheers his team and it is even said that he follows superstitions so that his team wins every time. Shah Rukh’s love for the game is not new-found. It is a known fact among his fans that he used to represent his college cricket team. SRK grew up in the Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood in Delhi and attended St. Columbus School where he actively participated in drama, academics and sports including cricket. Records also have a picture of his 1984 Senior Cricket team which was supposed to play in the Thumbs Up semi-final. Here is one of his videos playing cricket: 2. Amitabh Bachchan: Indian Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan poses in front of fans with the national flag after India won the 2015 Cricket World Cup’s cricket match against Pakistan, on the streets of Mumbai. (Photo by STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images) Amitabh Bachchan is an avid cricket fan and never misses an opportunity to cheer for the Indian cricket team. His interest in the game can be seen through his tweets as he follows the game quite closely. Bachchan also recently sung the national anthem before the India v Pakistan World T20 match. He also makes sure he congratulates the Indian cricket team after all their victories on Twitter. During his younger days, the actor himself took time out of his schedule and had been captured playing cricket. He is also known to be close with greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. Amitabh proved that he isn’t any dummy fan when personally jumped into a twitter banter with Andrew Flintoff. The reply, the manner in which it was delivered, was from a hardcore Indian cricket fan and not from a world renowned megastar. @flintoff11 @imVkohli @root66 @englandcricket Root who ? जड़ से उखाड़ देंगे Root ko ..!!! — Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 27, 2016 3. Salman Khan: Salim Khan, MS Dhoni and Salman Khan at the latter’s residence in Mumbai. (Photo Source: Instagram) Salman Khan is also a cricket fanatic, not a huge fan but follows every big tournament where the Indian team participates. His connect with cricket and cricketers is very well-known. In fact, his father, writer, Salim Khan, wanted the actor to become a cricketer when he was growing up. It is also said that his cricket-crazy father had also sought the help of former Indian cricketer Salim Durrani to coach him when he was a little boy. But, unfortunately, Salman’s laid back nature never allowed him to take the game seriously. He has a reputation of arriving late on sets and events; would never wake up early and would deliberately play badly every time in front of his father to kill his father’s persistence. 4. Akshay Kumar: Indian cricketer and captain of IPL’s Delhi Daredevils team Virender Sehwag (L) poses with Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar (2L) ,teammate and Pakistani cricketers Shoaib Malik. (Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images) Akshay Kumar is also seen relaxing watching a cricket match even on the sets of his movie. It was once rumoured that the actor had arranged TV sets so that no one misses the 2015 Cricket World Cup. His children and friends are Akshay’s companions most of the times. He flows the game even when traveling and stays in touch using his phone. The Khiladi Kumar calls Virat Kohli as his present day favorite. Besides all these things, Akshay Kumar has also acted in a cricket-based movie – Patiala House. He played the role of Indian British cricketer who struggled to convince his family about his cricketing ambitions. Even more exciting news is that cricketing great Glenn McGrath also wants him to play his role if there is any biopic planned on the life of the retired cricketer. Also read – Top 10 Oldest cricketers to play T20Is 5. Suniel Shetty: Rahul Bose, Suniel Shetty during the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings played at Brabourne Stadium on March 25, 2010, in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Yogen Shah-IPL 2010/IPL via Getty Images) Once an aspiring cricketer and now a veteran Bollywood star, Suniel Shetty’s life before ruling the silver screen revolved around cricket. Shetty has been a life-long lover of the game. It a well-known fact that Anna once was an aspiring cricketer before turning to bodybuilding and eventually becoming an actor. He is regular at the important India games and Indian Premier League matches. He roots for the Mumbai-based team Mumbai Indians in the IPL. The bulky actor is also a part of Celebrity Cricket League team Mumbai Heroes. Another fascinating part of his love for the game is that Shetty has used cricket as a means of contributing to charity and helping back the society. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USkdvVF4MD4 6. Venkatesh: Venkatesh. (Photo Source: IBNLive) Daggubatti Venkatesh, more famously known as ‘Venky’ by his fans’ is known for his undying love for cricket. He himself enjoys the game and is one of the players for the Telugu Warriors and captains the side in the CCL tournaments which is held every year. He also keenly follows the Indian Premier League matches which are hosted in his hometown of Hyderabad. Venkatesh was also present for the final match of the IPL 2016 between Sun Risers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He was one among the many other Tollywood celebs who were present at the stadium to cheer for the Hyderabad team. Moreover, he went to all the venues where India played during the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He is also a close friend of former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman and was even able to rope in the wristy batsman to act in one of his movies Vasantham. Also read – Top 10 Players with most man of the series awards for India in Tests 7. Juhi Chawla: KKR owner Juhi Chawla with player Piyush Chawla holding the IPL champions trophy. (Photo by Subhendu Ghosh/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Juhi Chawla’s love for the game was unknown until she became a regular at in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp. The popular actress is the co-owner of the franchise along with her husband and Shah Rukh Khan. She also has stakes in the Caribbean Premier League franchise Trinbago Knight Riders. Chawla, one of the leading Bollywood actresses of the 90s is a keen cricket lover and her involvement with KKR and Trinbago Knight Riders is not limited to just owning stake. She is seen actively cheering the team throughout the campaign. Apart from co-owning franchises, Chawla also has a cricket academy and plans to develop a cricket stadium in Porbandar, Gujarat. 8. Ritesh Deshmukh: Indian Bollywood actor Ritesh Deshmukh bats during a cricket match between Indian Bollywood actors and Sri Lankan cricketers. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) Ritesh Deshmukh is another Bollywood actor who is known to be cricket mad. Ritesh has been seen posting pictures in the Indian jersey and shouting out slogans supporting India during important matches. At times, he has also been caught playing during shoots forcing the director to take breaks. Obviously, there have not been any complaints to the producer as he makes up for his work later on. Deshmukh is a passionate player himself. Once playing for his Celebrity Cricket League side, Mumbai Heroes, the actor sustained a leg injury during the match. But, instead of leaving the field, he continued to play and finished the match. The injury aggravated and kept him on the bed but he never showed any regrets. Also read – Top 10 longest streaks as the No 1 Test team 9. Sudeep: Sudeep. (Photo Source: OneIndia) Sudeep once aspired to become a cricketer before turning to the silver screen. He was a university-level cricketer and has represented his state’s Under-17 and Under-19 sides. Sudeep is now the superstar in the South Indian film industry and enjoys a strong fan following among Kannada and Telugu speaking masses. But, despite making it big in the field of acting, the cricketer inside him never died. The Celebrity Cricket League fed his long-standing desire to play cricket at a recognizable level. The ‘Eega’ superstar is the captain of the Karnataka Bulldozers team. Apart from that, he is also associated with the Rockstars team in the Karnataka Premier League, the popular T20 league in Karnataka which acts as a platform for rising talents.

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9 Indian celebrities who are cricket-mad

8. Ritesh Deshmukh:

Also read – Top 10 longest streaks as the No 1 Test team

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