Over the 17 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), many franchise owners have found themselves in the spotlight for different reasons. From Vijay Mallya to Preity Zinta, Raj Kundra to Sanjiv Goenka, controversies have surrounded a few of them. However, one of the most talked-about incidents remains the one involving Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owner Shah Rukh Khan at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium back in 2012.
The incident took place after an IPL match between KKR and Mumbai Indians. Kolkata Knight Riders had won the game that evening. Soon after the match ended, Shah Rukh Khan was seen having a heated argument with the security staff inside the stadium. Video footage showed an angry Shah Rukh gesturing at one of the security guards. According to reports at the time, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials accused the actor of attempting to enter the ground without permission. They claimed he was drunk and had misbehaved with the security team.
Following the incident, MCA officials lodged a complaint against him at the Marine Drive police station. The MCA president back then, Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was also a former chief minister of Maharashtra, announced that Shah Rukh Khan would be banned from entering Wankhede Stadium for five years. Deshmukh made it clear that strict action would be taken against anyone who misbehaved, regardless of their status or celebrity. He added that even he couldn’t step onto the field without proper permission or accreditation.
However, the ban was lifted after three years instead of five.
Later, Shah Rukh Khan spoke about the incident during an interview on the popular show Aap Ki Adalat. He explained what had triggered his reaction that day. He said he was very upset because his children were present, and he felt they were being mistreated. SRK mentioned that when he tried to take his kids away from the field, a security guard used a word that he found offensive. He believed the word had a religious undertone and was highly inappropriate. Shah Rukh admitted that he lost his temper at that moment and became aggressive, even thinking of hitting the person who said it.
