“... Dahaadness!” tweeted shah rukh khan on april 15. That summed up the mood in the kkr camp with back-to-back wins at eden gardens. t2 lent its voice to the dahaad
TT Bureau
Published 19.04.17, 12:00 AM
“... Dahaadness!” tweeted shah rukh khan on april 15. That summed up the mood in the kkr camp with back-to-back wins at eden gardens. t2 lent its voice to the dahaad
VS KINGS XI PUNJAB
Beach waves, pink top, gold kicks and denim — Shraddha Kapoor was sporty cool as she moved to Tum hi ho, Teri galliyan and Chham chham. The one that got the loudest cheer? The humma song from her last release Ok Jaanu. “...What a feeling with that energy at #EdenGardens Kolkata. & the best part? My dad cheering me on,” read a picture that the Half Girlfriend actress posted on Instagram.
Calcutta turned out in full strength to cheer for Kolkata Knight Riders in their first home game at Eden Gardens on April 13. There was Mexican wave, there was dancing in the stands, there was missing Shah Rukh Khan, there was cheering for every run scored and every wicket scalped. Before the madness came the masti, with Shillong Chamber Choir (picture above), Shraddha Kapoor, Monali Thakur and folk artistes from various parts of Bengal adding to the fervour of the opening ceremony.
Shakti Kapoor first cheered on daughter Shraddha and later hung around to see KKR start on a winning note on home turf against Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets. “He was so entertaining!” was the buzz in the B1 box. And yes, KKR’s win added to co-owner Juhi Chawla’s glow!
Calcutta girl Monali Thakur got the crowd going with Sawaar loon, Tune maari entriyaan and her latest hit, Badri ki dulhania.
The Kings XI cheerleaders included co-promoters Karan Paul (extreme right) and Ness Wadia, Karan’s wife Indrani Dasgupta and brother-in-law Pratip Dasgupta (extreme left). For Pratip, who has been living in the US for the last 20 years, it was an IPL debut. “The one word to describe it would be electrifying. I am in love with the stadium and the crowd and the game,” said Pratip who bats for Virat Kohli, but has Kings XI Punjab in his heart! And who are Indrani’s Punjab picks? “Glenn Maxwell and Wriddhiman Saha!” said the former supermodel. How much of a toll have 10 years of IPL taken on Ness? “I think I have aged less than I thought I would have… now the full set-up is professionalised… so just want to come and watch and enjoy ourselves,” he smiled. And what has kept them going? “Passion for the game and the fact that you have people like (T) Natarajan who we just got, who comes from nowhere… his father works as a coolie and he (a medium-pacer from Tamil Nadu) is now being paid Rs 3 crore…. The biggest thing is that today sports is seen as a profession which is acceptable to parents in India and that’s the most important thing… IPL has managed to not only do that but help facilitate kabaddi leagues, tennis, badminton, hockey… it’s had that ripple effect.... In year 10, looking forward to winning… we hope once in 10 years… with Maxwell as captain and Viru (Virender Sehwag) as the head mentor,” said Ness.
Ratul Sood was there with his younger son Angad, who only follows cricket during IPL! “I like Chris Gayle,” smiled the nine-year-old who studies in La Martiniere for Boys.
FROM THE FANBOX...
Talk about standing out in the crowd, there was none like Nandita Banerjee. The college student channelled KKR colours (gold and purple) on her lips and cheered out loud for the Knights. So what’s her fave KKR moment from the last 10 years? “It has to be the time when KKR was losing initially but suddenly they started winning and eventually bagged the trophy!” she said. Her fave Knight now? “Chris Woakes! He is so cute.”
Cheering out loud from the Club House Lower Tier, Kumkum Chandgothia (left) was one enthusiatic mom. “It’s mandatory to watch IPL matches with my kids every year. This year we didn’t want to miss the opening ceremony. I find Shraddha Kapoor very sweet and she even waved to us! But it is Shah Rukh Khan whom we missed a lot. When he comes to the stadium he brings so much energy and happy vibe for everyone. I hope when he turns up, he brings along co-stars like Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor and Katrina Kaif to make up for his absence!” said the homemaker, with daughter Harshita and son Saatvik by her side.
Ahaan Kalra was the first one to jump up and applaud every time Gautam Gambhir smashed one in his 72 off 49 balls. “I love Gautam Gambhir because he’s a match-winner for KKR. They’re really playing well and could go on to win the IPL this year,” beamed the La Martiniere for Boys student, who had come with a placard which summed it up: ‘East or West Kolkata is the Best’.
Who said Shah Rukh hadn’t come to Eden Gardens? Meet Shah Rukh Nadeem, the 11-year-old Knight who had come to the game with mom Minaz. Yes, she was the one to name the boy after King Khan. “I love Shah Rukh. We come all the way from Andaman & Nicobar Islands every IPL just to see him,” smiled Minaz. She was heartbroken when we informed her that he wouldn’t be showing up for the match.
For Neeraj Khemka, coming for an IPL match with his wife and two sons is an annual tradition. “We’ve been coming ever since 2008,” he said. But was he looking for Shah Rukh with his binoculars aimed at the B1 box? “I don’t care about SRK… I’m just looking at Shakti Kapoor!” he smiled.
Md Raju Ahmed Talha was heading back to Bangladesh with the perfect gift — a match ball — which he caught when KKR bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji tossed into the Club House Lower Tier. “I’m glad KKR won, but I really missed Shakib Al Hasan and Shah Rukh Khan,” he said before breaking into Janam janam from Dilwale. “I start missing my girlfriend every time I hear this song!”
“SRK is the heart of a KKR match at Eden; if you don’t see him it feels that something is missing and the experience remains incomplete. The moment he comes to the B1 balcony and blows a kiss, the crowd goes crazy!” said Pronomi Aich, a college student and a model.
From throwing his hands up, jumping up from his seat to quickly snapping a selfie, age was just a number for Shabbir Chhatriwala. The resident of Mumbai made his Eden Gardens debut on Thursday. “I have been rooting for KKR since the beginning. What I like the most about them is they are a complete team and have been consistent,” he said.
VS SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Text: Saionee Chakraborty, Rwitoban Deb & Pramita Ghosh
Pictures: Pabitra Das & B. Halder
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