5 Bollywood-Cricket link-ups that made headlines

Cricket and Bollywood have crossed paths on many occasions in the past few decades. Cricketers, many a time, have been spotted going on dates and spending time with Bollywood actresses. The connection goes down a long way as there have been many link-up rumours between cricketers and actresses.

Many of these link-up rumours turned out to be true, leading to those couples eventually tying the knot. But there have been many cases where the relationship came to a halt and ultimately didn’t result in a marriage.

1. Sharmila Tagore and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi

Let’s rewind the clock to 1965 when Bollywood starlet Sharmila Tagore met the dashing Nawab of Pataudi. They both met through a common friend before love blossomed between the two superstars.

After four years of sending roses and proposing, Sharmila finally agreed for the marriage. However, there were problems in tying the knot as Sharmila belonged to a Bengali family while Mansoor Ali was a Nawab and a Muslim. Overcoming all the roadblocks, they finally got married to each other on December 27th, 1969.

2. Mohammad Azharuddin and Sangeeta Bijlani

Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin hogged the headlines for his link-up rumours with actress Sangeeta Bijlani in 1996. Azharuddin, already married at that time, raked up headlines for having an extramarital affair.

The two had a long affair but Azharuddin didn’t want to divorce his wife, leading to his breakup with Sangeeta. The two finally split in 2010 and ended a relationship which didn’t blossom into marriage.

3. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma

One of the most popular couples in the country, India captain Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma met on a TV commercial shoot and eventually came closer. Anushka was even spotted in stadiums on many occasions when Virat was in the middle, either for India or for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Their love story was a success and they tied the knot in Italy in 2017. They’ve been making several appearances together in parties and celebrity weddings. Amid the national lockdown when cricket and Bollywood were at a halt, Virat and Anushka had even shared photos and videos to keep their fans entertained. The power couple recently announced the Anushka’s pregnancy via their social media accounts.

4. Yuvraj Singh and Deepika Padukone

Yuvraj Singh’s name was linked with several actresses until he got married to Hazel Keech in 2016. The two had met at a common friend’s place in 2011 and it took four long years for them to finally tie the knot.

Meanwhile, Yuvraj had hogged the headlines due to his link-up rumours with actress Deepika Padukone. Padukone was new to the Bollywood industry when the two met after India’s triumph in the 2007 T20 World Cup. According to reports, Yuvraj and Deepika also attended many events and went on secret dates before they called it quits. It was reportedly Yuvraj’s possessive nature which irked Deepika at that time. They moved on as Yuvraj eventually married Hazel and Deepika tied the knot with actor Ranveer Singh.

5. Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge

Like Virat and Anushka, Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge also had a love story similar to a fairy tale. After meeting through mutual friends, Zaheer and Sagarika started dating and eventually fell in love.

They made their relationship public after attending the wedding ceremony of Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech. After getting engaged during the 2017 Indian Premier League, they finally tied the knot in November 2017 in a low-key wedding. Zaheer and Sagarika, time and again, keep sharing their photos on their social media handles.