Cricket and Bollywood have a long history of overlap, with many players and stars dating or even marrying each other. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable cases.
Ravi Shastri, the former coach of the Indian cricket team, once fell for actress Amrita Singh. The two met on a magazine photoshoot and their romance began. There were even rumors that Shastri proposed to Amrita in New York, but their relationship ultimately fizzled out.
Yuvraj Singh, another Indian cricket legend, had a long-term relationship with actress Kim Sharma. Although they never confirmed their romance publicly, they were spotted together several times. Yuvraj has since moved on and married Hazel Keech.
MS Dhoni, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, was also linked to a Bollywood star – Raai Laxmi. The two were spotted together in 2008-2009, but their relationship didn’t last. Dhoni eventually married Sakshi and they have a daughter named Ziva.
Across the border, Pakistani cricketer and former captain Imran Khan had a rumored romance with Bollywood actress Zeenat Aman. During a cricket tour in India in the 1970s, Imran allegedly skipped a team event to celebrate his birthday with Zeenat. Although neither of them ever publicly confirmed the relationship, it remains a fascinating footnote in the history of cricket and Bollywood crossovers.
Some other notable cricketer-Bollywood romances include:
- Sourav Ganguly and Nagma
- Virender Sehwag and Arshi Khan
- Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra
These stories show that even the most unlikely of romances can blossom between the worlds of cricket and Bollywood.