IPL 2025: Shah Rukh hails Virat Kohli, calls him ‘gold generation’

Bollywood actor and owner of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday (March 22) hailed batter Virat Kohli as “GOAT” and a part of the “gold generation” of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

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Shah Rukh, who performed at the IPL 2025 opening ceremony at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, said Kohli is the only cricketer to have played for only one franchise – Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in all 18 editions of IPL.

'Gold generation' vs 'Bold generation'

Inviting Kohli to come on stage, Shah Rukh heaped praise on him calling him “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time). He also urged the fans a the stadium to chant "Kohli, Kohli, Kohli" and it started and he also did the same along with them.

According to Shah Rukh, Kohli and other stars of IPL are part of the “gold generation” and the current crop of youngsters including KKR batter Rinku Singh make up the “bold generation”.

Shah Rukh said he was “fortunate to be able to stand alongside” Kohli. He recalled the days when he watched Kohli’s matches as an Under-19 cricketer.

KKR vs RCB opener

Later, Shah Rukh asked Kohli whether “bold generation” of IPL would make a bigger and faster impact on the league. To this, Kohli said, “The bold generation is coming up very strongly. But the old generation is still here, ready to make an impact, still ready to play the game, and hopefully keep creating more memories for all these lovely fans for years to come.”

Moments after, Shah Rukh, first with Rinku, and Kohli, danced to two Bollywood numbers from his movies including Pathan.

Shah Rukh said, “Kohli is part of a gold generation, Rinku in the bold generation, and I am part of the generation that never gets old.”

IPL 2025 will kick-start with KKR, the defending champions, hosting RCB, at Eden Gardens. The same two teams had played in the first-ever IPL match in 2008, at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.