15 Most talked about Link-ups between Cricketers and Bollywood Stars

The relationship between cricket and Bollywood goes a long way. Cricket stars have always shared a special kind of bond with Bollywood actresses. Here is 15 times when cricketers were clean bowled by our Bollywood beauties.

1. Virat Kohli – Anushka Sharma

The is the hottest couple right now who is always in the news for some reason or the other. Even after continuous media speculations and illogical accusations (with Anushka being targeted for Virat’s poor performance in the World Cup Finals), this lovely couple is going strong on their relationship front. They met each other for the first time during a shampoo ad’s shoot and bonded immediately. After keeping their relationship under wraps for a long time with the “Just friends” tag, the couple recently made their relationship public by Anushka attending his cricket matches and Virat giving her flying kisses from the pitch. They were also spotted hand in hand in public many times. Even in their busy schedules, they make sure to spend quality time with each other by going on international holidays or by visiting each other’s work fronts. The rapport they share is simply amazing. We hope to see this magical couple tying the knot soon.

2. Harbhajan Singh – Geeta Basra

Our own Bhajji and actor Geeta Basra have been seeing each other since a very long time now but the couple have never revealed their relationship status publicly. We hope to see this couple getting married soon.

3. Zaheer Khan – Isha Sharvani

The couple had been in a relationship for almost 8 years and everyone expected to hear some wedding bells from them but the news of their break up sometimes back left everyone shocked. However they admit that they are still good friends and chat occasionally. So we can only hope that the couple sort out their differences and reunite.

4. Yuvraj Singh  -Kim Sharma / Deepika Padukone / Neha Dhupia

Yuvraj Singh and Kim Sharma were dating each other for quite sometime and were spotted together on several occasions. Unfortunately they called it quits due to personal differences. Rumor mills suggest that Yuvi’s mother was not very happy with the relationship as a result of which Kim felt it wise to end the relationship and move on. She is now happily married to a rich businessman, Ali Punjani from Kenya. Post break up, Yuvraj was also linked with Deepika Padukone and Neha Dhupia for brief time periods.

5. MS Dhoni – Deepika Padukone

Reportedly, captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni had a huge crush on Deepika Padukone after she got into the film industry. Dhoni went on to invite her for a T20 match which Deepika even attended. This created more gossip among the media about their relationship status. However, an affair between them was never confirmed. Deepika went on to date actor Ranbir Kapoor then Siddharth Mallya (and now Ranvir Singh). Dhoni got married to Sakshi and recently they were blessed with a lovely baby girl.

6. Sreesanth – Riya Sen

Sreesanth, one of the most controversial cricketers was once dating actor Riya Sen. The affair started after they met for a jewelry ad’s shoot. However, they never admitted their relationship in public and always claimed to be “just friends”. The cricketer is now married to someone else and after a failed Bollywood career, Riya has made up her mind to try her luck in politics.

7. Sourav Ganguly – Nagma

Reportedly Sourav Ganguly had a secret affair with Nagma even after being married to childhood sweetheart Dona. Their affair started in London in 1999 and they became the talk of the town when Dada was seen with Nagma in a temple in 2000. It was also rumored that they had secretly tied the knot. However the rumors soon faded and Dada is still in a healthy relationship with wife Dona.

8. Mohammed Azharuddin – Sangeeta Bijlani

Cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin got into an affair with actor Sangeeta Bijlani when he was already married to Naureen. He divorced his wife to get married to Sangeeta. After being married for 14 years, the couple decided to end their marriage in 2010. The cricketer, with the casanova image that he has, was also in the news for his rumored link-ups with Badminton player Jwala Gutta and Delhi based expatriate Shanon Marie Talwar for sometime.

9. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi – Sharmila Tagore

This is the only couple in this list whose relationship resulted into a successful marriage till the end. Their affair started in 1965 when Sharmila Tagore was in Delhi for a movie shoot and she met Tiger Pataudi through a common friend. It took quite a long time for the legendary cricketer to woo this charming actress. Finally after 4 years, Sharmila accepted his love. However, their relationship was opposed by both the families. Later, they got married when their families were convinced after a lot of persuasion.

10. Vivian Richards – Neena Gupta

The West Indies cricketer, Sir Vivian Richards and actor Neena Gupta had a sizzling affair even after the cricketer was already married. Their relationship became front page headlines when Neena decided to bear their love-child out of wedlock. Being the strong and independent woman she is, Neena raised the child alone and their lovely daughter Masaba is today a successful fashion designer. Reports suggest that, the father and daughter meet each other once a year.

11. Imran Khan  – Zeenat Aman

The Pakistani cricketer fell for yesteryear’s bombshell Zeenat Aman and their relationship created a lot of buzz in the media at that time. However, their relationship lasted for a very short span of time after which they both went in their different ways. Zeenat started dating actor Sanjay Khan secretly who was already married then, for which she was even slapped by his wife at a party. Imran Khan dated Benzir Bhutto for sometime but went on marrying British socialite Jemimah Khan.

12. Mohsin Khan – Reena Roy

Actor Reena Roy and cricketer Mohsin Khan had a serious affair when both of them were at the peak of their career. They both got married and Reena shifted to Pakistan leaving behind her acting career. Imran too quit cricket to try his luck in acting but failed. Later they got divorced and went on their separate paths.

13. Sir Gary Sobers – Anju Mahendru

The legendary cricketer from West Indies fell in love with Anju Mahendru when the West Indies cricket team had visited India for a match. Rumors were also that they had got engaged. However, destiny had other plans for them. They had to part ways after being in a relationship for sometime. The legend, later in his autobiography also mentioned that the reason for their separation was strong opposition from Anju’s parents as they didn’t want their girl to be married to such a black person.

14. Ravi Shastri – Amrita Singh

Cricketer Ravi Shastri was a hot favorite among girls during those days and Amrita Singh was an aspiring actor. They had an affair for a while but later parted ways. Amrita went on marrying actor Saif Ali Khan while Shahtri got married to Ritu Singh.

15. Kapil Dev – Sarika

Kapil Dev is as legendary in Cricket as Amitabh Bachchan in Bollywood. He led the Indian cricket team to win the cricket world cup in 1983. Sarika was a famous actor in those days. It is said that Kapil’s parents were very happy with their son’s relationship with Sarika and wanted them to get married. However, the couple had a very short-term relationship which ended with Kapil getting married to on-and-off girlfriend Romi. Sarika too got married to superstar Kamal Hassan.

Which couple among these do you like the most? Share with us in the comments section 🙂