'After I was banned, Shah Rukh said...' - Harshit Rana reveals KKR's owner Shah Rukh Khan's reaction after his 'flying kiss' celebration

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 final on May 26, securing them the coveted trophy for the third time. With this victory, KKR are now closing in on the two most successful IPL franchises, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), both of which have five titles in their cabinet.

KKR's journey to becoming champions was quite challenging, marked by several obstacles during the season. One significant incident involved their promising young bowler, Harshit Rana, who received a one-match ban for making a gesture towards Delhi Capitals (DC) player Abhishek Porel after dismissing him. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) deemed this a Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 of the IPL's Code of Conduct.

He was also in the limelight during KKR’s first match of the season which was against SRH. Harshit dismissed Mayank Agarwal and gave a flying kiss send-off to him. After which, BCCI fined him 60% of his match fees. He was trolled by many fans on social media. However, he continued his aggression throughout the tournament and is now having his own fanbase. Harshit was fabulous during the entire season as in 13 matches he picked up 19 wickets.

I was very sad and then Shah Rukh sir came to me and said: Harshi Rana

Meanwhile, the star young bowler recently revealed KKR’s owner Shah Rukh Khan’s reaction after he got banned. Harshit said that he had a conversation with the Bollywood legend and revealed that Shah Rukh said they would do the flying kiss celebration with the whole team when they lift the trophy and surprisingly he kept his promise and the entire KKR staff was seen replicating the celebration.

"Oh Yes! After I got banned for one match, I was very sad and then Shah Rukh sir came to me and said ‘Tu tension mat le ye waali celebration Trophy ke saath karenge (We will celebrate the IPL with a flying kiss). He promised me and made sure that we did that with the trophy and our team," Harshit was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.