Former Pakistani pacer, Yasir Arafat, has revealed that Shah Rukh Khan offered him to play in IPL for his franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.
In his latest interview with Cricket Den, Yasir Arafat took a trip down the memory lane, disclosing Shah Rukh Khan’s wish for him to feature for Kolkata Knight Riders.
He said, “Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had shortlisted names for the first edition and unfortunately, I was not among them and couldn’t play. I was playing County Cricket for Kent in 2008 when KKR’s scouting team specially came from India and they met me during a match. They revealed that Shah Rukh Khan wants me to play for his side.”
Former pacer told that the Bollywood star’s offer to participate in the Indian Premier League took him by surprise. Pakistani pacer found the situation too good to be true. However, the star later offered him a contract for three years.
Yasir Arafat added, “Initially, I thought it was a joke as to why Shah Rukh would send somebody to talk regarding the contract. They also handed me a card and took my contact details. A few weeks later, I received an email where they complained about not contacting and the discussion was put off. They again offered me a three-year contract where Shah Rukh himself called and welcomed me. He also picked up my contract through someone in London while traveling to the United States of America.”
Yasir Arafat then recalled that no Pakistani was allowed to play in the IPL after the first edition due to political tensions between the two countries.
Currently, the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League is going on featuring players from all around the world except Pakistan. Pakistani players only appeared in the first edition of IPL before the political differences between the two countries limited the cricketing relations as well.