Cricket and Bollywood are both deeply seeded in the heart and souls of Indians. Billions of fans across the nation cheer for their favourite sports and entertainment celebrities, and are crazy about them. So when the two worlds collide, it’s safe to say that the whole country becomes invested in the story and it grabs the biggest headlines everywhere. This is especially noticeable whenever a story breaks out which involves a love story between a cricket star and an actor. A few weeks ago, when reports about KL Rahul marrying Athiya Shetty surfaced on the Internet, they topped the news cycle and sent a wave of happiness among fans of the two celebs. However, this is not the first time that a cricketer-actor union is taking place. We are looking at six other times when cricketers fell in love with actresses!

KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty

Suniel Shetty’s daughter Athiya Shetty, and Indian cricketer KL Rahul were reportedly set up by a common friend, and they began dating in 2019. While they would often share pictures with each other on Instagram, they made their relationship Instagram official in 2021. Now, they are all set to tie the knot on 23^rd January at Suniel Shetty’s holiday home Jahaan in Khandala.

Harbhajan Singh and Geeta Basra

It was love at first sight when the ace Indian spinner saw Geeta in a music video from the movie “The Train”. Lovestruck, Harbhajan pulled some strings to get in touch with the actress by trying to get her number. But it wasn’t easy for the Turbinator to get her attention, as Geeta ignored him for the longest time. The wait was finally over when Geeta congratulated Harbhajan for winning the T20 World Cup in 2007, which marked the beginning of their friendship. Eventually, their love blossomed and the duo tied the knot in November 2015 in a Gurudwara near Jalandhar.

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma

The love story between the world’s finest batsman and one of Bollywood’s biggest actresses is an interesting one. Virat and Anushka first met on the set of an ad shoot for a popular shampoo brand. By Virat’s own admission, their first meeting was very awkward as he made a remark about Anushka wearing high heels out of nervousness. The couple were then usually spotted together on various occasions and made no attempts to hide their relationship from anyone. In December of 2017, after 4 years of dating, the couple got married in Italy and became one of India’s biggest power couples.

Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech

While being known for his explosive batting style, Yuvraj had to play a long inning to win Hazel over. The couple first met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in 2011, where Yuvraj first asked Hazel out. Even though he got her number, Yuvraj was ghosted by Hazel for almost 3 and a half years before he could finally take her out on a date. In 2015, Yuvi popped the question in Bali and the couple tied the knot a year later in November 2016.

Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge

The ‘Chak De India’ star Sagarika Ghatge met cricketer Zaheer Khan through mutual friends at a Bollywood party. The lovebirds soon started seeing each other and would go out frequently. Rumours of them dating sent the Internet into a frenzy when they were spotted together at Yuvraj Singh’s wedding. Sagarika and Zaheer got engaged in April 2017 and had a wedding ceremony in the month of November that same year.

Hardik Pandya and Natasa Stankovic

The all-rounder from Baroda met the love of his life at a nightclub in Mumbai and was instantly smitten. Hardik and Natasa then started to frequently party together and became best friends. As time went by, their friendship developed into a love affair and they both got their families involved. Natasa accepted Hardik’s proposal and they shared the news through pictures on Instagram. They welcomed their first child, Agastya, in 2020. 

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore

Late cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, aka Tiger Pataudi, tied the knot with actress Sharmila Tagore in December 1968. They have three children- Saif Ali Khan, Saba Ali Khan, and Soha Ali Khan.