'Shah Rukh Khan wanted me to play for KKR'- Yasir Arafat recalls Bollywood megastar's offer in IPL 2008

Former Pakistan pacer Yasir Arafat has claimed that he had received an offer to represent Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. Furthermore, Arafat has also mentioned that the person who had invited him in the first place was none other than the co-owner of the franchise, the ‘King of Bollywood’ Shah Rukh Khan himself.

It is to be noted that the Pakistani players were only a part of the Indian Premier League for the 2008 edition after which they were no longer allowed to participate due to political tensions between both countries in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks. The first season featured the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Asif, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, etc.

Initially, I thought it was a joke: Yasir Arafat

“Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had shortlisted names for the first edition and unfortunately, I was not among them and couldn’t play,” Yasir said on Cricket Den’s YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan. “I was playing County Cricket for Kent in 2008 where KKR’s Scouting Team specially came from India and they met me during a match. They revealed that Shah Rukh Khan wants me to play for his side,” he added.

“Initially, I thought it was a joke as to why Shah Rukh would send somebody to talk regarding the contract. They also handed me a card and took my contact details”, he further added.

Yasir Arafat also added that a few weeks later he received an email where they complained about not contacting, and the discussion was put off. Nonetheless, the Kolkata-based franchise again offered him a three-year contract where Shah Rukh himself called and welcomed him. Unfortunately for him, the contract could not be honored after he and his countrymen were banned from the marquee tournament after the 2008 blasts in Mumbai.

While the Pakistani players could never become a part of the Indian Premier League again, former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood played in the competition after accepting British citizenship in 2011 while the legendary speedster Wasim Akram remained an integral part of KKR’s team management where he served as the bowling coach.