Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla stride into Writers’ Buildings on Sunday afternoon to meet chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Picture by Amit Datta

As his Knights rode into the night for the last time in this edition of the Indian Premier League, Shah Rukh Khan was thinking not about what went wrong this time but what he could do right next year.

It’s just as well that SRK was not at Eden Gardens on Sunday night. He wrapped up all business during the day, paying a visit to Writers’ Buildings, giving his men a pep talk in the hotel spa and announcing to the media that he wanted to strengthen his bond with Calcutta before fielding the Kolkata Knight Riders in next year’s IPL.

From a permanent KKR office in the city to a cricket academy, SRK has several plans.

“If there is an office, I will keep coming back to the city,” he said before returning to Mumbai in the evening.

Shah Rukh admitted “slip-ups” while preparing for this year’s IPL in just “35-40 days” and promised that the entertainment next year would be different and have more “local flavour”.

“We are here to play cricket and don’t want to hurt sentiments. With all due respect, I don’t have any idea about the local culture,” he said.

His meeting with chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee stretched from the scheduled 15 minutes to around 45 minutes.

Buddha: “So kind” to SRK

An eight-car convoy rolled into the central VIP entrance of Writers’ at 12.50pm and Shah Rukh, in a black suit and white shirt, emerged from the white E-320 Mercedes Benz along with KKR co-owners Juhi Chawla and husband Jai Mehta.

SRK presented a 24-carat gold-plated Knight Riders helmet to the chief minister, known to be passionate about cricket but has yet to watch a T20 match.

“Shah Rukh explained (to Bhattacharjee) how T20 was giving regional players an opportunity to showcase their talent,” said a senior state government official.

The duo discussed the possibility of setting up a cricket academy in the city, on the lines of the talent factories in Australia.

Films figured in the discussion, too. The chief minister invited SRK and Juhi to the Calcutta Film Festival, beginning November 10.

“It was a courtesy call… He was so kind and gave us Darjeeling tea,” King Khan said later.