10 Facts you need to know about Shahrukh Khan - The latest batting sensation signed by Punjab Kings in IPL 2021 Auction

Shahrukh Khan has become the talk of the town after getting a lucrative IPL contract in the recently-concluded auction for this year’s IPL. The event took place on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai with 291 players up for grabs for the 61 available slots. In the end, only 57 players managed to get IPL contracts.

As far as Shahrukh is concerned, he was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 5.25 crores. The 25-year old hard-hitting middle-order batsman from Tamil Nadu triggered a bidding war between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals as he went up from a base price of Rs 20 lakh. In the end, Punjab won the race and gave Shahrukh his maiden IPL contract.

While he will be keen to do well in the IPL and become a household name in India, we are taking a look at some interesting facts about Shahrukh Khan’s life:

1. Born in Chennai:

Shahrukh Khan was born on May 27, 1995 in Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai. He grew up playing cricket in this very city and incidentally earned his maiden IPL contract in the same city. Growing up, he also played tennis-ball cricket.

2. Named after Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan:

Shahrukh Khan’s maternal aunt is a big fan of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and forced the batsman’s parents to name him after the actor. In the past, Shahrukh has admitted that his name has invited some nasty sledges on the cricket field.

3. Favourite actor – Rajinikanth:

Shahrukh Khan might be named after his famous Bollywood namesake but his favourite actor is none other than thalaivar Rajinikanth. In a recent interview, he revealed he is a die-hard Rajinikanth fan.

3. Family of cricketers:

Shahrukh Khan comes from a family of cricketers. His father Masood and younger brother Akram are also cricketers. Unlike Shahrukh, his father could not make it big in the game but played league cricket in Chennai. Akram has also played league cricket in the city.

4. Early stardom:

Shahrukh Khan grabbed the headlines very early in his life. In 2012, he impressed in the inaugural edition of the junior Chennai Super Kings tournament, a talent hunt event conducted by the three-time IPL winners. He was adjudged the best all-rounder of the tournament.

5. Early setback:

Shahrukh Khan had to suffer a big setback in the early days of his career. After impressing in the junior Chennai Super Kings tournament, he impressed with both with the bat and the ball in the Cooch Behar Trophy in the lead-up to the 2014 U19 World Cup. He had scored 624 runs in 8 innings and picked up 8 wickets and was eagerly awaiting a call-up to the India U19 squad. However, he did not receive the call and was taken aback by the setback.

6. Impressive start to T20 career:

While he failed to find a spot in India’s squad for the 2014 U19 World Cup, he made his T20 and List A debut for Tamil Nadu in the same year at the age of 18. Shahrukh Khan made a fantastic T20 debut in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as he hit 21 from just 8 balls against Goa. He, however, played only 4 more matches in the tournament, managing just 31 runs.

7. Made Ranji Trophy debut in 2018 after a long struggle:

Shahrukh Khan had to struggle very hard for his debut in Ranji Trophy. He earned his maiden call-up for the Ranji Trophy in 2014-15 season but had to wait for four years for his debut in first-class cricket. And it was a debut to remember. He walked out to bat when Tamil Nadu were reeling at 81 for 5 against Kerala and helped them reach 268 by playing an unbeaten knock of 92. Tamil Nadu went on to win the game by 151 runs.

8. Was invited for trials by Mumbai Indians but failed to impress:

Before the auction for IPL 2020, Shahrukh had attended a Mumbai Indians trials but had failed to impress. To make matters worse, he injured a finger as his dreams of playing the IPL was delayed further.

9. Went unsold in IPL 2020 auction:

After doing well in age-group cricket, domestic cricket and Tamil Nadu Premier League, Shahrukh was expecting an IPL call in 2020. However, he failed to find a single bidder in the auction as he remained unsold.

10. Helped Tamil Nadu win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:

Last month, Shahrukh helped Tamil Nadu clinch their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title and first since the inaugural season in 2006/07. He played one of the best knocks of the tournament in the quarterfinal against Himachal Pradesh when he slammed an unbeaten 40 off just 19 balls.