Uncapped Indian and Tamil Nadu player Shahrukh Khan had a wonderful day at the 2022 Indian Premier League auction as he was bought by Punjab Kings with a whopping ₹9 crore. He was registered at a base price of ₹40 lakh. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings were in the bidding tussle as well.
Shahrukh Khan is the second-most expensive uncapped player in the history of the IPL auction after the spinner Krishnappa Gowtham, who is the most expensive player after CSK spent ₹9.25 crore. While speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Shahrukh Khan said shared his views.
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“I am feeling good. It is good to know that a franchise has faith in me and my abilities. It feels nice to be picked by the same team again. I can be myself and play my game,” he said. “I got a message from Anil sir after they picked me. He welcomed me back into the setup and told me that I should be ready to bowl as well.”
He added: “Honestly, I don’t think too much about the price tag. It is a part and parcel of any auction. It only good to play for a team that trusts my abilities. And since, I don’t think too much about the price tag, there is obviously no pressure on me. That will never be on my mind. The team looks solid. We have Shikhar Dhawan at the top, we have Jonny Bairstow and Mayank Agarwal etc. I am raring to getting to know all the players.”
He has been doing well in domestic cricket. His performance with the bat has been outstanding too as well. The Tamil Nadu batter, however, shared his interaction with India’s most prolific finishers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
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“Finishing in the IPL is a notch higher than what it is at the domestic level. I had a word with MS Dhoni last year and his advice to me was to just keep it very simple. He did share a lot of insights on the game, the finishing matches and all. How I look at it is that there’s no point complicating things. It is a game and either you win or lose. The more you think about it, the more you lose out on your batting and game and miss all the fun,” Shahrukh Khan again shared.
“I am not looking too far ahead. For now, I am with the Tamil Nadu team, preparing for the Ranji Trophy. TN has done well in the recent past in white ball cricket and it is time to show that we can also be dominating in red ball cricket. For now, the focus is on the Ranji Trophy. The IPL comes next,” Shahrukh Khan concluded.
