IPL: King Khan beats Mallya, Ambani in show & biz

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The winner of the first IPL weekend is neither a cricketer nor a team. It���s Shah Rukh Khan. His franchise is being termed the Manchester United of the IPL, and he���s managed it all ��� highest celebrity quotient, sheer business acumen, personal involvement with the team and the works. IPL stakeholders say he���s overshadowed the flamboyant Vijay Mallya on the entertainment front and Mukesh Ambani on the business front.

So, while cheering Bollywood counterparts like Karan Johar, Rani Mukerjee, Shilpa Shetty or Arjun Rampal were a given, Shah Rukh went a step ahead ��� he ensured high-voltage visibility by getting Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka and Robert Vadra to cheer for his team ��� Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The fact that his team leads the league after the first three days is just a coincidence. It���s the SRK brand which is going from strength to strength.

His business associates can���t stop gushing. Said Nokia marketing director Devender Kishore: ���Shah Rukh is entertainment par excellence. He���s doing such a great job for us that we couldn���t have asked for more.��� Nokia is presenting sponsors of KKR, for which SRK has launched a standalone music album. He���s personally featured in full-page print ads sporting a Housing Development and Infrastructure (HDIL) T-shirt ��� another KKR sponsor. Gitanjali Group, another KKR sponsor ��� has created 18-carat gold-plated helmets which would be presented to the best players in his team.

His company Red Chillies Entertainment has paid less than Mukesh Ambani and still has managed to rope in the maximum number of sponsors ��� Nokia, Tag Heuer Watches, Belmonte, The Telegraph, Reebok, T-Series and Gitanjali Group. Interestingly, Mr Ambani and Mr Mallya have snared not more than three sponsors each. King Khan bought the Kolkata team for $75.09 million against Mukesh Ambani���s $111.9 million for the Mumbai team and Vijay Mallya���s $111.6 million for Bangalore.

Said Percept MD Shailendra Singh: ���He���s packaging the IPL tremendously well. My only concern is that the glamour quotient should not overshadow the finer aspects of the sport itself.��� As Globosport���s Blah added: ���SRK talks to all his stakeholders himself; he���s committing 60-70 days in terms of hands-on involvement. And his goodwill is so high that no one he personally invites to watch a match can say no.���