Shah Rukh Khan and his Knights savour the sweet taste of victory last year after failing in the first four editions of the IPL

If IPL 5 ended with the Kolkata Knight Riders at the T20 summit, IPL 6 could start with the purple-and-gold flag flying on the summit of Sandakphu.

A group of 10 Shah Rukh Khan and KKR fans from north Bengal is aiming to scale Bengal’s highest peak next month, coinciding with the start of their favourite team’s campaign to retain the Indian Premier League crown.

“I have heard of all kinds of things that fans do but this is really unique,” KKR co-owner Juhi Chawla Mehta told Metro over the phone from her Bandra home.

“The passion of the people of Bengal for sports is unbelievable. I still remember the Eden full of people who came to celebrate KKR’s victory. To think the KKR flag would be flying so high! I do hope the team lives up to their expectations,” she said.

The CEO of KKR, Venky Mysore, wished the boys “luck and safe return”.

Weather permitting, the team from Nature and Trekkers’ Club of Jalpaiguri will set off in KKR jerseys for the highest point of the Singalila Ridge in mid-April, just after Gautam Gambhir and his Knights square off with Sunrisers Hyderabad on home turf. Eight members of the group are from Jalpaiguri and two from Cooch Behar.

“We wanted to do something to celebrate our IPL victory last year and inspire the team for this year’s campaign. The initial plan was a journey to Khardung La, India’s highest motorable road. But we wanted something with a Bengal connection. This idea was mooted by a member of our north Bengal unit,” said Arnab Roy, the secretary of the Shah Rukh Khan Fans Club.

The club had organised a Durga puja for KKR, with the goddess draped in the team colours, in 2010 and a Mata ki jagran on Mahanavami in 2011.

“It will be a 50km trek. If the weather holds, we will be back in the plains in seven days. We have chosen a window when there should not be much snow. Snowed-over tracks mean boots digging in and getting caught with every step. But with peaks above 10,000ft, there is no knowing what lies in store,” said Jyoti Bikash Kar, the deputy leader of the team.

Team leader Jayanta Sarkar is the most experienced among the trekkers, having completed an advanced course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.

“We have started our fitness programme already, focusing on running,” Jayanta, who is a trekking instructor, said.

Weight training will start a week ahead of the trip with each member required to carry backpacks weighing 10 to 12kg.

The fan club will be funding part of the trip expenses. An expedition to Sandakphu, at an altitude of 11,929ft, costs Rs 10-12,000 a member.

Two members of the Calcutta unit of the Shah Rukh Khan Fans Club will be handing the KKR flag to the trekkers at Maneybhanjang, in the lower forests of the Singalila National Park, the starting point of the expedition. “SRK is Bengal’s brand ambassador and KKR is our state team. We cannot afford to fail. That is why we have chosen our most experienced campaigners for this trip. We are prepared to conquer even inclement weather,” smiled Jyoti.

While weather can play spoilsport, the 10 die-hard Shah Rukh and KKR fans believe nothing is impossible after the whipping boy of four IPL seasons scaled the summit in the fifth.

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