Shah Rukh Khan always takes the limelight whenever he attends an Indian Premiere League (IPL) match. The Bollywood actor and Kolkata Knight Riders owner was at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens stadium to cheer for his team. But a sweet post-match gesture by him is now being shared online.

A video circulating on social media shows Shah Rukh Khan picking up discarded KKR flags off seats and the floor of the VIP section. He picks up a few of them and hands it to his bodyguard. Fans can be heard screaming his name, asking him to wave at them. After cleaning up the area, Shah Rukh Khan turns around and gives his fans a flying kiss.

Also after the match, Shah Rukh Khan met a few players and fans on the cricket field. He wore a purple KKR T-shirt and black pants. He also tied his hair in a messy manner. The video has gone viral on social media with 104900 views, 190 retweets and 1100 likes till now which are only increasing. One X user Kalpana Bansal wrote niji Zindagi mein aise hi hai SRK King Khan down to earth and shy.

Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan and younger son AbRam were also seen at the match. Suhana’s BFF Ananya Panday also accompanied the Khans. Both the young actors shared photos and videos from the match on social media. Suhana Khan took to her Instagram handle, and shared her joy and posted multiple happy images from the stands.

The photo album starts with a couple of pretty images of her followed by a video in which she lost her breath thinking a wicket dropped on the ground. She also shared a photo with Dream Girl 2 actress Ananya Panday who joined the Khans to support the team. Sharing the photo album, she wrote, winning at home.

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IPL 2024 is all set to begin today. The fans of every franchise is excited to once again support their favourite teams. Today the cash-rich league will see a clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB). The day of the match will see a thrilling match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is set to grace the KKR’s first match in Eden Garden on March 23.

With Shah Rukh Khan in presence, the tournament is sure to begin with a memorable mix of excitement and elegance. All eyes will be on the Eden Gardens when the KKR begins play on March 23, where the attraction of Bollywood and the wonder of cricket meet.

Kolkata Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan’s team, is looking forward for a thrilling season under the mentorship of former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir. In 2012, KKR won their first IPL trophy by defeating CSk under the captainship of Gautam Gambhir. The team’s management is excited about Gambhir’s comeback and anticipates that he will provide his winning tactics to the group.

The Indian Premier League is back for another exciting season of cricket mania in 2024. The 17th edition of the franchise Twenty20 cricket league is expected to attract millions of fans across the country. The tournament, which is organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, features 10 powerful teams and promises to be an exciting one. It will take place from March 22 to May 26, 2024.

The defending champions Chennai Super Kings, who are looking to win their sixth title following their thrilling victory over the Gujarat Titans in the previous season, all eyes will be on them as the action takes place.

Meanwhile, on workfront, Shah Rukh Khan is currently in talks with directors Raj and DK, Farah Khan, Siddharth Anand, and Kabir Khan for highly awaited film Tiger vs. Pathaan. However, an official confirmation on this is yet to come.

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West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee took an indirect dig at BJP and said the Indian cricket team would have won the cricket world cup if the final had been played in Eden Gardens (Kolkata) and Wankhede (Mumbai).

Banerjee was addressing the Trinamool Congress party workers at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata. The West Bengal Chief Minister said the Bhartiya Janta Party is trying to saffronise the national cricket team. She said saffron practice jerseys were introduced for the players of the Indian team. She said the players resisted and did not wear the saffron jerseys during the matches.

Banerjee called PM Modi a sinner and said wherever a sinner goes, they take their sins along with them. She applauded the performance of the Indian cricket team and said the Indian team played so well and won all the matches except the one attended by the sinners.

Earlier Assam chief minister Himata Biswa Sarma sparked the row saying that India lost the match against Australia because it was played on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary on November 19. Sarma requested The BCCI that it should ensure in the future that a final match should not coincide with the birthday of the family members of the Nehru Gandhi family member.

A political row broke out when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at PM Modi during an election rally in Rajasthan saying PM means Panauti Modi, insinuating that prime minister brings bad luck. The Bhartiya Janata Party said Gandhi’s comment was disgraceful and shameful. They demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi with the Election Commision. The Election Commission issued a show cause notice to Rahul Gandhi on his jaibkatra and panauti jibes at PM Modi and asked him to respond by November 25.

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India became the first to qualify for World Cup 2023 semi finals on beating Sri Lanka in Mumbai. In the next match India defeated South Africa, who was at the second position. This ensured India finished in the top position at the end of the league stage. India has been ruthless, lethal and brutal in this edition of the World Cup.

India has won 8 matches back to back. But the opposition which India will face in the semi finals is not confirmed yet. Australia and South Africa have been confirmed to play the semi finals with each other. The opposition which India faces in the semi finals is either Afghanistan, New Zealand or Pakistan.

The other teams Netherlands, Bangladesh, England and Sri Lanka have no chances left to qualify for the semi finals. The opposition India faces in the knockout stage will decide the venue and date India’s semi final. If Afghanistan or New Zealand qualify for the knock stage, then India will play its semi-final in Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on November 15. But if by any chance Pakistan qualifies for the semi finals, then India will play against Pakistan in Eden Garden in Kolkata on November 16.

Sourav Ganguly wants Pakistan to qualify for the semi finals because Eden Garden is his home ground and he wants to witness the thrilling India Vs Pakistan semi final in Kolkata. Ganguly is well aware of the fact that the sale of tickets will increase if there is an India Vs Pakistan match in Eden Gardens.

The former BCCI president said he does not want to affect India’s chances at the World Cup as the Indian team has played some outstanding cricket throughout the tournament. Ganguly said the Indian fans are very happy with the way India is playing. He said the  way India has played their 8 matches, it appears India is better prepared than other teams.

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By Sujit Bhar

The death of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, or Pele, on December 29 in Sao Paulo is a huge loss for football. This brings back memories of when Pele, in the penultimate match of his long career, played with New York Cosmos in a match against Mohun Bagan Athletic Club of Calcutta (as Kolkata was known then). That match, on September 24, 1977, ended in a 2-2 draw, and the Indian club team almost clinched victory.

The result is unimportant. What remains in memory – I got to see this as a member of Mohun Bagan Club – are the unbelievable technical nuances that the superstar showed onfield. He was 38 then, past his prime – he joined New York Cosmos after he retired from international football – but his footwork, his energy and his unbelievable skills were all on show.

Pele was in Kolkata again, in 2015, when he landed in New Delhi, where he witnessed the Subroto Cup U-17 final, before travelling to the football city on a week-long tour. But that was a muted tour.

Days before he arrived in Calcutta in 1977 – a huge, cheering crowd waited by the roadside as Pele and the Cosmos team travelled by bus to their hotel in central Calcutta – local media houses described his style of play, his special moves, and we, readers gobbled up each sentence. At the ground, it was a feast.

Eden, basically a cricket ground, was full to the brim – at least 80,000 – waiting for the star-studded Cosmos team, which also included Brazilian World Cup winner Carlos Alberto and Italian Giorgio Chinaglia. Mohun Bagan had players such as former India captain Subrata Bhattacharya, Pradeep Chowdhury, Shibaji Banerjee, Surajit Sengupta, Mohammed Habib and Akbar Ali.

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We thought it would be a fun game, but Mohun Bagan players were determined to show off to world stars that India too was a powerhouse in the sport. I will not forget the incredible save that Shibaji Banerjee made off the boots of Pele, virtually risking his life. Shibaji never forgot this moment as long as he lived.

Each move was spectacular. His bicycle kick was not evident, but that special move in which Pele would bounce the ball off his own defender’s back to play dummy on his opponent, was. The player he used this time was Chinaglia. Chinaglia was not used to this special technique, and was somewhat startled, but Pele had achieved his purpose by then.

The big takeaway from this, for me, a football buff, was the sheer presence of a giant before me. More than that, it was Pele’s fitness at that age and his humility that floored me, as it did to Mohun Bagan players.

In my long journalistic career, I have met and interviewed several greats of sport around the world. But the memory of this day has stayed bright. The news of the death of Pele brings back these items from the past; memories that make one smile.

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