Arjun supports SRK!

You see him in the stands for every match of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Arjun Rampal, dressed in the team’s black and gold jersey, cheering for his good friend Shah Rukh’s team, with his other buddies Karan Johar, Farah Khan and Sajid Khan. For Arjun, the reasons are simple: one, SRK is a good friend and second, “I see where Shah Rukh has taken the IPL — his contribution has been great and we must support him.”

Arjun has been a cricketer since school. What then is his view that T20 is ‘not quite cricket?’ “It’s a sport,” he says,
“The change in the format is what’s making it exciting. And a lot more people are watching cricket because of this. Women, normally not cricket viewers, are now fascinated by it.” Arjun’s wife, former supermodel Mehr Jesia is one. “My wife couldn’t stand me watching cricket earlier. Today, she not only watches but calculates run rates and knows the rules,” he says.

Arjun has made many new cricketer friends. “They’re all great guys,” he says, “It’s great to see our Indian cricketers learning and interacting with international cricketers. Ishant is a really nice guy, Dada (Sourav) is great for the team: he looks after the youngsters, so does coach John Buchanan. The team was different with Ricky Ponting, Brendan McCallum and Chris Gayle there, it’s pity they had to leave. And Shoaib’s a huge influence — he’s quite a character, enjoys his game and has great energy.”

Wasn’t he worried about rooting for the Knight Riders over the Mumbai Indians with the recent controversy? “It’s not that I dislike the Mumbai Indians. I like Delhi too — I’m from there, after all. But it’s the Indian Premier League and we’re Indians first. See the EPL — you can support Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool and still be British. Next year, if players are traded, Sachin might play for Kolkata or Sourav for Mumbai! Soon the club culture that exists abroad will also catch on here.”

As for why SRK is such a popular team owner, the reason’s simple, says Arjun: “He’s a team player, whether in films, shows or cricket. He’s patient and caring. He looks at this as a sport — some days you win, others you lose. His leadership is great. Take Shah Rukh out of the IPL and it’ll be a great loss for them.”