Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday unveiled the new campaign of the franchise for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), set to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“@kkriders #HaiTaiyaar… come on, let’s get behind our Knights and support them through this season! #TuFanNahiToofanHai,” Shah Rukh wrote in a social media post.
Explaining their new campaign, KKR have said, “This year, the Knight Riders have only one chant and one salute, and it’s all about you. Tu jaan le tu kaun hai, #TuFanNahiToofanHai”.
Dinesh Karthik had earlier accepted that KKR, who enjoy one of the mists loyal and energetic fanbase in the IPl, would miss the buzz of their home ground Eden Gardens. Speaking about the campaign, the KKR skipper said that it was the team’s way to convey what fans mean to them.
“We will be missing our fans this year and the energy of Eden Gardens. We wanted to communicate directly with KKR fans, and wanted to convey what they mean to us. We do understand that they can’t be here in person with us, but they will be in our hearts,” Karthik said
With the Cycle Amphan ravaging the state in the middle of a global pandemic, Bengal has been in the middle of a gargantuan crisis. And, Karthik wants to put a smile on Bengali people by winning the IPL this year.
“This year, it’s not so much for us. We’re playing for you all. We want to put a smile on their faces through our cricket. If we play the right brand of cricket, I’m sure we will make sure that you know we put a smile on every KKR fan out there.”
Chinaman spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also expressed his desire to win the title this year for the KKR fans.
“This year we want to win the title for our fans. They have given us so much love over the years, and this year even when they aren’t with us, we can feel their support and energy,” Kuldeep said.
The two-time champions, KKR, will begin their campaign in the 13th season of the IPL against defending champions Mumbai Indians on September 23 in Abu Dhabi.
The 2020 edition of the IPL will be played for 53 days from September 19 to November 10 across three venues in the UAE — Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Dubai. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings will play each other in the opening match.
The final match will be played on a Tuesday, to make it the first-ever IPL to have its final on a weekday. The matches this season will also start 30 minutes before their original time of 4 PM and 8 PM.