Mumbai,10 May:It is said that cricket and Bollywood rule the Indian nation. A number of famous Bollywood actors own part of the teams playing at the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL). Preity Zinta is co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab while Shah Rukh Khan has literally converted his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders into a brand in itself. That's the star power of Bollywood!In an exclusive interview with one of our reporters, former model-turned-actor Arjun Rampal, shares his views on the IPL Twenty20 tournament so far.
About his experience in the IPL, Rampal says that it's been a "good start". A supporter of the Kolkata Knight Riders, he was also wary of the team's changing fortunes in the tournament saying, "We (Kolkata) started really well but slumped in the middle and now we pulled it up again today. It was a really tough match for the Bangalore team and us and I'm glad we came through."He lauded Sourav Ganguly's excellent bowling figures in which he picked up the important wicket of his opposite number, Rahul Dravid."The crowds here are amazing and I'm glad I came here, cheered them and we won," added the Bollywood hunk.
He confessed that Shah Rukh Khan was not the sole reason he supported the Kolkata Knight Riders but said that he liked the team as a whole. He was shocked when he learned that Ricky Ponting and Brendon McCullum were leaving for international duty.He also confessed to liking the Mohali franchise of the IPL, the Kings XI Punjab.
When asked about the amalgamation of Bollywood and cricket in a country like India, the ‘Om Shanti Om' actor said, "It definitely helps get more awareness to the sport. The IPL is a great platform for youngsters to be found and discovered. I think there's cricket and there's our industry (Bollywood) – when it comes together its massive."Another reason he preferred coming for the IPL matches was because of his wife Mehr Jesia's new-found love for the shortest version of the gentleman's game.