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Cricketer Rinku Singh, who was shot to fame after hitting five consecutive sixes in the final over of a run-chase in IPL, was bought for Rs 80 lakh by Shah Rukh Khan’s team Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018. Ever since, he has been in touch with the superstar, who treats him with a lot of love. The cricketer recently shared his experience of playing for the actor’s team and the time when he flew in his chartered plane.
Speaking with Raj Shamani on his podcast, Rinku recalled his first meeting with the star. He said, “I first met him during a match in 2018. Although, I got out quite early in the game, I had managed to do good fielding. It was my first ever IPL match. Main thing in a match is fielding, I did that well. The match was over, we won. And after every match, SRK came down to the field. He met us with so much love.”
He added: “He didn’t know me that well as I had just started playing. Yet, he treats every player equally. He hugged us all, kissed us. My bonding with sir began there. Eventually, we met at parties, danced together. That strengthened our bond.”
Recalling the time when he sat in his chartered plane, Rinku said it was during one of the lowest phase of his life when he didn’t make the cut for the Indian squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. “I was travelling alone to Mumbai as all the other players had already reached there. I was left behind because my name didn’t come for the World Cup squad. I also had to do some visa work to travel to the US. It was then Venky sir (Venky Mysore, CEO of KKR) informed Shah Rukh Khan’s manager Pooja (Dadlani) about my travel. She approached me to travel with him. But, I was extremely nervous. I tried my best to refuse that offer thinking he is such a big star, what will I say to him?”
However, he eventually had to fly with the star. “I sat in the same car as him. I was sort of upset as my name was not selected for the World Cup. He was aware of the situation. He called me ‘son’ and motivated me. To make me feel better, he told me ‘You are as famous as me’. I was like: ‘Sir, what are you saying.’ I really liked the way he put effort to make me feel better. I walked inside the airport with him with all the security. It was a whole different experience. It was my first time in a chartered plane.”
Sharing the plane with the star made Rinku the happiest man despite his World Cup setback. He shared: “I was sitting quietly in the plane. But, to share 2 hours of my life in a chartered plane with SRK was the best time of my life. Now, I am comfortable around him. Whenever we meet, we play pool together. We dance together at the parties. The best part about SRK is that he treats everyone equally. This quality makes him special.”
He added, “Just last year, when we were playing pool, I lost at 4 games. But, eventually he let me win to make me feel good. I play fine, so he be like: ‘Theek hai chal tu jeet le!'”
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