IPL 2021 Auction | Punjab Kings (PBKS) spend INR 5.25 Crores on uncapped Shahrukh Khan!

There was some comic relief when the cameras panned to Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan accompanying the Kolkata Knight Riders table when the name of his father’s namesake cricketer propped up during the IPL 2021 auction.

The uncapped player saw a lot of interest from suitors during the auction which drove up his value from a base price of INR 20 Lakh to INR 5.25 crores. Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore both engaged in an active bidding war for the Tamil Nadu batsman and in the end it was the franchise co-owned by Preity Zinta who proved to be successful.

Also Read: IPL 2021 Auction | Complete Punjab Kings (PBKS) Squad and Final list of Players

Shahrukh Khan debuted for Tamil Nadu in 2014 and since then, has played 31 T20s. He has scored 293 runs at an average 18.31 and a strike rate of 131.39. He made his List A debut in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. It took him another four years to make his first class debut, which arrived in the 2018 Ranji Trophy. The 25-year-old was name after the co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

Also Read: IPL Auction 2021 | Punjab Kings buy Australian speedster Riley Meredith for INR 8 Crores

He’d be hoping to impress during the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Shah Rukh was in terrific form for Tamil Nadu in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which Tamil Nadu ended up winning. In the quarterfinal against Himachal Pradesh, he played a 19-ball undefeated 40. He also came up with a crucial cameo in the final against Baroda to ensure Tamil Nadu their second Syed Mushtaq Ali win.

Having played 51 first class matches, Shahrukh has scored 231 runs at an average of 33.00 and his highest score is 92 not out. Meanwhile, in List A cricket he has scored 286 runs at an average of 35.75, with his highest score being 69 not out.

Despite the acquisition, it is still unclear how much game time Shahrukh Khan will see this season. Punjab Kings already have the likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Mandeep Singh. Then add the likes of Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Dawid Malan and it could prove to be impossible to break into that batting lineup. However, Shah Rukh Khan wouldn’t want to pass up on this opportunity after several IPL snubs in the past.