New Delhi [India], August 17 : Amrit Mathur, the former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) General Manager has revealed that how the actor Akshay Kumar once cancelled his lucrative contract with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) to save the team from incurring losses.
Mathur revealed the incident and details about the actor's deal with the franchise in his autobiography 'Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket'. Mathur was also the franchise's Chief Operating Officer (COO) at one point back in 2009.
Akshay had signed with the Delhi franchise back in 2008 to become its face.
"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 act (he performed daring stunts), nothing much happened because DD didn’t know how to leverage him. At the end of the season, during elaborate post-mortem held against backdrop of serious financial losses, DD decided to cancel or renegotiate the contract," said Mathur as quoted in his book.
"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."
"Seen from 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 need for austerity, the star had become an avoidable expense. Knowing there was no legal lifeline available, DD appealed to Akshay for mercy."
Mathur discussed the franchise's financial issues and Akshay's contract with the actor.
"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 (Akshay) said in a sympathetic manner. If it’s not working, let’s close it’. I thought I hadn’t heard him right," Mathur wrote.
"Seeing my confused look, he (Akshay) 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),” concluded Mathur.
Now fast forward to 2023, Delhi, now known as Delhi Capitals is still a highly popular IPL franchise, having ended as runners-up in the 2020 IPL season and reached the playoffs stage multiple times.
It has star players like Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje and Kuldeep Yadav playing for it.
In the last season this year, DC failed to qualify for the playoffs in the absence of their skipper Rishabh, who was ruled out due to heavy injuries sustained in a car accident last year. Warner led the side in his absence. The franchise could win only five out of their 14 matches and finished at ninth position in the table.
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