The movie Azhar released recently, and one of the highlights of the movie is Azhar’s linkup with former Bollywood actress Sangeeta Bijlani. Here we take a look at some famous linkups between Bollywood actresses and star cricketers from around the world. While some of them did get married, some of these will come as a revelation to you.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore
They got married and their son is Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. Legend has it that Tiger gifted Sharmila a refrigerator (big deal in those days) to win her heart, but that didn’t impress Sharmila. Four years of sending roses and proposing, Sharmila agreed.
Vivian Richards and Neena Gupta
Richards was married at that time, but Neena Gupta still got into a relationship with him. They even have a daughter Masaba, who is now a designer based in Mumbai.
Imran Khan and Zeenat Aman
They would have made a great pair – the dashing Pakistani cricketer and sexy Bollywood siren. They did create a buzz in the media but their affair was short lived. Imran went on to marry British socialite Jemimah Khan.
Garfield Sobers & Anju Mahendu
Anju Mahendu was a fashion designer and struggling Bollywood actress of yesteryear (she was also the first love of Bollywood’s former superstar Rajesh Khanna). Anju met the iconic West Indian all-rounder Garfield Sobers and two fell in love. However, Anju’s family refused to accept Sir Sobers as their son-in-law (due to his skin color). Mahendu went by her family’s decision and ended the affair.
Ravi Shastri and Amrita Singh
Soon after Ravi Shastri won the Audi car for his superlative performance in Australia, Amrita Singh and Ravi Shastri started dating each other pretty. But, even their love story was short-lived.
Mohsin Khan & Reena Roy
Reena Roy (who earlier had an affair with Shatrughan Sinha) got married to Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan and even quit her career to focus on family. Later the cricketer also decided to dabble in acting in Bollywood. Sadly, their relationship ended in a divorce.
Mohammad Azharuddin & Sangeeta Bijlani
Azharuddin was already married with two sons, and his affair with rising Bollywood actress Sangeeta Bijlani became one of the biggest gossips in the 90s. Azhar went on to marry Sangeeta Bijlani divorcing his first wife. After fourteen long years, Azhar and Sangeeta parted ways (in 2010).
Ajay Jadeja & Madhuri Dixit
Azhar’s partner in crime (in match-fixing) Ajay Jadeja was also linked to several Bollywood actresses, including Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon and Tabu. When Ajay Jadeja did a photo session with the “Dhak Dhak” girl for a film magazine, there were strong rumours that Ajay and Madhuri were dating each other and were going to star in a movie together. Madhuri Dixit is now married to Mr. Nene.
Sourav Ganguly & Nagma
News about their relationship emerged (the two even visited a temple to perform some rituals) when Dada was already a successful captain of the Indian cricket team. However whether they were in a relationship could never be confirmed. One of the rumors was that an Australian player named Nagma as Sourav’s girlfriend to break Ganguly’s concentration.
Yuvraj Singh and Kim Sharma
Their relationship was talk of the town but unfortunately, things did not work out. Kim Sharma is now married to Kenyan based businessman Ali Punjani.
M.S. Dhoni & Yuvraj with Deepika Padukone
MS Dhoni had revealed that he had a crush on the dimpled actress post her Bollywood debut, but whether they got into relationship is not clear (although the media got enough fodder for gossip). Later Deepika was even linked to Yuvraj Singh. However, Deepika later got into a relationship with Ranbir Kapoor.
Zaheer Khan and Isha Sharvani
Remember the pretty actress (and a great dancer)? The two were in a relationship for a couple of years. However, the couple split to focus on their respective careers.
Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley
The Australian cricketer and British actress (she was married to an Indian businessman and living in India, before she got divorced). Their very public affair did not last long either.
Shoaib Malik and Sayali Bhagat
Sayali is a model-cum-actress (of some renown); the two were rumoured to have been dating each other before Shoaib got married to India’s tennis queen Sania Mirza.
Wasim Akram & Sushmita Sen
Wasim Akram was allegedly in a relationship with the former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen (they were judges on the television dance show Ek Khilari Ek Haseena in 2008.) However, there relationship was short-lived. Wasim (whose first wife Huma died in 2009) later married Australian girlfriend, Shaniera Thompson.
Sreesanth & Shriya Saran
Sreesanth, once considered to be India’s brightest hope in bowling, was once linked to Shriya Saran (seen in Drishyam). Later, Sreesanth got banned for life for his involvement in spot-fixing in IPL. The beautiful actress, however, rubbished rumours of their relationship.
Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra
The two dated for a very long time, there relationship saw several ups and downs, but they finally got married.
Virat Kohli & Anushka Sharma
This is the most talked about cricketer-actress pair currently, with both doing very well in their respective careers. The two decided to take a break for some time, when Virat’s performance went down and many were blaming Anushka for that. However, with Virat back in good form, the two seem to be getting close once again.
Update: The two are now happily married.
Read: All you need to know about about Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma
Yuvraj Singh & Hazel Keech Fairytale Wedding
Yuvraj Singh & Hazel Keech’s wedding was a grand affair, and after seeing all these pictures (and videos), we’re sure even you must have felt being a part of the whole wedding ceremony. The couple tied the knot on November 30, in a gurudwara in Chandigarh.
Yuvi and Hazel’s wedding invitations were fun, with lots of cartoons and illustrations – showing them as playing Yuvraj-Hazel Premiere League (YHPL).
Although several celebrities graced cricketer Yuvraj Singh & Hazel Keech’s wedding, most eyes were on Anushka & Virat. Anushka-Virat were a part of the wedding, reception and even hit the dance floor post the evening ceremony.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma were clearly the scene stealers at yuvraj singh and Hazel Keech’s wedding ceremony at Siolim, Goa. No doubt Yuvraj and Hazel were the centre of attraction, but the cameras followed the Indian Skipper and his Bollywood actress girlfriend throughout the evening.
