PremiumHow Akshay Kumar severed his multi-crore deal with once-in-debt Delhi Capitals
Akshay Kumar's inclusion in the team was orchestrated with guidance from Amrit Mathur, who was then the Chief Operating Officer of the franchise.
Last Updated: 03.21 PM, Aug 16, 2023
From co-owners to ambassadors, the involvement of Bollywood actors in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception is hardly surprising. Many of these actors have leveraged the IPL platform to promote their films as well. Among them is Akshay Kumar who had been associated with the Delhi Capitals franchise (previously known as Delhi Daredevils).
Talking about this association, Indian cricket administrator Amrit Mathur unveiled a previously undisclosed account from 2009 involving Akshay Kumar. He spoke on how Akshay Kumar took an exceptional step by relinquishing his multi-crore contract, thereby rescuing an IPL franchise from the brink of financial distress.
Entering the Delhi franchise during the IPL's second edition, Akshay Kumar's inclusion in the team was orchestrated with guidance from Amrit Mathur, who was then the Chief Operating Officer of the franchise.
However, the anticipated benefits of this collaboration did not materialise as intended and the franchise missed a valuable opportunity to enhance its brand through this partnership. This resulted in financial setbacks and that led to the team facing challenges and finding itself amidst turbulent circumstances.
"Akshay signed a three-year deal with Delhi Daredevils to shoot promotional films, attend meet and greet events and make appearances at corporate events...Apart from Kotla's act (he performed daring stunts), nothing much happened because DD didn't know how to leverage him. At the end of the season, during an elaborate post-mortem held against the backdrop of serious financial losses, DD decided to cancel or renegotiate the contract," Mathur wrote in his autobiography 'Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket' published by Westland Sport.
This was also a period when Akshay Kumar was at the pinnacle of his career, with blockbusters like "Welcome," "Bhool Bhulaiyaa," "Namaste London," and "Heyy Baby" in 2007, and "Singh is Kinng" in 2008 under his belt. Akshay had a slew of films lined up, making it clear that modifying or amicably resolving his contract with Delhi Capitals would be far from straightforward.
"Akshay's contract provided no exit; on the contrary, it gave him solid guarantees for a period of three years. DD's lawyers approached Akshay's staff, wanting to revisit the contract, but they made no headway. The (legally correct) response from his side was that contract didn't factor in early termination and it has run its course with full monetary compensation," Mathur, a former BCCI General Manager, recalled in his book.
"Seen from the perspective of DD, Akshay's multi-crore contract could be equated to a self-goal or hit-wicket dismissal. Considering the disastrous financial results and the need for austerity, the star had become an avoidable expense. Knowing there was no legal lifeline available, DD appealed to Akshay for mercy."
Consequently, Mathur took the initiative to reach out to Akshay, and the outcome of their interaction left him pleasantly astonished. It was the generous spirit of the actor that truly shone through as Akshay displayed remarkable flexibility upon learning of Delhi Capitals' appeal.
"After the shot, we returned to his vanity van and I, very hesitantly, explained the reason for my visit and outlined DD's financial troubles. No problem ji, he said in a sympathetic manner. If it's not working, let's close it. I thought I hadn't heard him right," he added in his book.
"Seeing my confused look, he clarified slowly, "Isko khatam kar dete hain" (let us end this)'. When I mumbled about the stringent contract clauses, he reassured me, "Koi baat nahin, main lawyer ko bol dunga" (No problem, I will tell the lawyer)."