Last year, the highly successful inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw the merger of Bollywood and cricket like never before. The IPL not just had some of the best cricketers of the world playing together, but also saw some of the biggest Bollywood stars cheering for them from the stands. So you had the likes of SRK cheering for his favorite Sourav Da, Preity Zinta giving Yuvraj a 'Jadoo Ki Jhappi' every time he played a match-winning knock and Akshay whistling for his fellow Delhi-mate Virender Sehwag.
However, long before IPL came into being, there has always been a connection between Bollywood and cricket especially because of the numerous cases of cricketers being linked to Bollywood beauties. While some of these real life stories culminated into marriage, many others died a slow death. Here's taking at sneak peek at some of the most discussed and talked about love stories between Bollywood actresses and cricketers.
Sharmila Tagore and Tiger Pataudi
Sharmila, the eternal beauty who starred in many hit films like Aradhana, Amar Prem, Daag and Safar married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi at the peak of her film career. Apart from being the 'Nawab of Pataudi', Tiger (as he is fondly known as) was also the captain of the Indian cricket team. The duo have been happily married for many years now and even have 3 children out of which Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan have followed the footsteps of their mother choosing acting as a vocation.
Read More">Amrita Arora and Usman Afzal Amrita Arora may be happily married to businessman Shakeel Ladak now but the chirpy and bubbly actress has had her share of relationships during her younger days. The one that remains still vivid in fans’ minds is Amu’s love story with England based cricketer Usman Afzal. The duo met atRead More
Amrita Arora and Usman Afzal
Amrita Arora may be happily married to businessman Shakeel Ladak now but the chirpy and bubbly actress has had her share of relationships during her younger days. The one that remains still vivid in fans' minds is Amu's love story with England based cricketer Usman Afzal. The duo met at a common friend's party and hit if off instantly. Usman became a regular at various functions of the Khan-daan and was by Amu's side whenever she needed him. However, after being together for more than a year, the duo decided to go separate ways for reasons best known to them.
Besides the above mentioned jodis, some of the other popular link-ups between Bollywood actresses and cricketers include that of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan & Zeenat Aman and legendary West-Indian all-rounder Gary Sobers & popular T.V. actress Anju Mahendroo.
Although Mumbai based fast bowler Zaheer Khan kept denying his relationship with 'Kisna' actress Isha Sharvani, there is no denying the fact that the two were in an on-off relationship for almost a year. The duo were spotted indulging in many a cosy dinners at various hot-spots across the city and Isha was even a permanent figure at the airport whenever Zaheer and his 'Boys in Blue' returned from various international tours. However, sooner than later Zaherr realized that all this was taking a toll on his form as a bowler and very soon the couple headed for splitsville.
Read More">Yuvraj Singh with Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone There is no denying the fact that swashbuckling batsman Yuvraj Singh has a huge female fan following. Yuvi has always known to be a charmer with the fairer sex and even Bollywood beauties Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone couldn’t help but fall to his lovely ways. WhileRead More
Yuvraj Singh with Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone
There is no denying the fact that swashbuckling batsman Yuvraj Singh has a huge female fan following. Yuvi has always known to be a charmer with the fairer sex and even Bollywood beauties Kim Sharma and Deepika Padukone couldn't help but fall to his lovely ways. While Yuvi and Kim were seen on more than one occasion together and were steady for quite a long time, his fling with Deepika was comparatively short-lived. While the couple (Yuvi and Deepika) maintained their just good friends stance, one couldn't help that they indeed shared a great camaraderie. Deepika in fact even was seen at a few cricket matches in Australia cheering Yuvi and couple was spotted together at quiet a few occasions. However, the sizzle in this Love Story soon fizzled out and today Deepika is happy in the company of her 'Lucky Boy' Ranbir Kapoor.
Bollywood actress Nagma and former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly's relationship was something which garnered a lot of media attention. Sourav was married to Dona and hence maintained a 'No Comments' stance on this personal issue, however Nagma had spoken publicly that there was indeed something on between her and the Prince of Kolkata. However, as the media speculation began to take a toll on Sourav's flourishing career, he decided to end all ties with the actress and this 'Chotti Si Love Story' died its own death.
