Actor, producer and director Sohail Khan owns the Mumbai Heroes team as a part of the celebrity cricket league. As the league matches are underway, Sohail is extremely proud of his team and has high hopes from his players. He prefers referring to his team as a group of ‘good-looking’ boys from Bollywood. In a candid chat with After Hrs Sohail shared his thoughts on actors becoming cricketers and how it’s in the spirit of good sportsmanship and entertainment.
How did you put your team together?
It took us less than 48 hours to get a team together because a lot of my friends are cricket enthusiasts. I sent out a message asking them if they would want to be a part of a professional team. All of them got back with a positive response.
Are you enjoying your role of a team owner?
Undoubtedly, it’s a lot of fun but it is getting more responsible and the league is also growing in size. Last year we had four teams, this year we’ve got six teams and next year we are going to have eight teams and then we are going to end with ten teams. We plan to cover all the film industries of India and it is a great platform for bringing together directors and producers.
What is the message behind having celebrities play cricket?
As we said, there is no barrier and all film industries can be a part of this competitive sport. It’s great to see them unite and play cricket in a sporting spirit. Its great fun and we have a good laugh in the after parties regarding the experiences of the game. We are not cricketers. We are just actors training to play good cricket.
Can fans expect Salman Khan to play a match in this season?
Unfortunately not this season as he has a tight filming schedule and has also underwent a surgery last year.So we have restricted him from playing but he may play in the next season of CCL. But nevertheless he is the most crucial part of the team as he is the icon player and ambassador of our team.