Seeing Sanjiv Goenka lose his cool at KL Rahul reminded fans of how motivating his is towards KKR and its players.
Emotions running wild around the IPL is nothing new. Still, Sanjiv Goenka, owner of the IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants, took it to a whole new level against KL Rahul following LSG’s 10-wicket drubbing at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad. Owners getting miffed at their captains is common, but to do so publicly, with multiple cameras around and the whole world watching, may not be the best of taste. Sure enough, in the IPL, an owner pays a sportsperson to get the job done, but at the end of the day, it’s a professional Indian cricketer… and one very good at that whom Goenka was scolding angrily.
Shah Rukh Khan (L) and Sanjiv Goenka are at the opposite end of the spectrum(ANI-Screengrab)
Goenka’s verbal outburst on Rahul made for ugly scenes, to the extent that the entire nation came together and urged the India batter to terminate his contract with the Super Giants. Goenka’s reaction also couldn’t help but bring to light some of the other owners and how they treat their players, with none more genuine, inspiring and motivating than Kolkata Knight Riders’ Shah Rukh Khan.
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Shah Rukh has been in the franchise cricket industry for as long as the IPL began in 2008. He has enjoyed the highs of winning two IPL titles and endured the lows of the many seasons where KKR failed to make it to the Playoffs. And yet, not once, did he lose his cool… at least not in the public eye. He owns franchises in other T20 leagues too, the Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL and the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket. Imagine the pressure of owning multiple cricket teams, but information on Shah Rukh lashing out on his players never came out for public consumption. He’d always rather have the coaches and the mentors take care of it.
Because of this character and attitude, Shah Rukh is one of the most beloved individuals in the country, across spheres. Hence, when visuals of Goenka going off on his captain Rahul went viral, the public couldn’t help but praise SRK’s demeanour and how he conducts himself around his players at KKR.
This year, Shah Rukh has been nothing but supportive of his players. Of course, the team has fared reasonably well in IPL 2024 compared to the last few years, but SRK has been involved in the thick of things from the very beginning of the season. He has delivered motivational speeches, met players and their families with nothing but warmth, and lifted the spirits of the team when it lost. He even attended the practice sessions in one of KKR’s last matches, even if it meant he was sweating profusely in the sappy Kolkata weather.
A report has it that just this season, SRH was apparently unhappy when Punjab Kings chased down KKR’s 261, but instead of unleashing on the players, he stayed back a day and spoke to his bowlers the day after. KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthi revealed how Shah Rukh motivated the players when they themselves felt flattened after failing to defend the total. That’s Shah Rukh Khan for you.
