In 2012, Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan was fined INR 100 for smoking at the stadium, a tiny percentage of Riyan Parag’s recent penalty.
The Riyan Parag fine
Punjab Kings were hosting Rajasthan Royals at New Chandigarh on April 28. Chasing 223, Rajasthan got there with four balls and six wickets in hand. Batting at four, RR captain Riyan was the fourth batter to be dismissed, for a 16-ball 29.
Not too long afterwards, the TV cameras captured him smoking what seemed like a vape (an e-cigarette). The footage quickly became viral on social media. The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act of 2019 prevents “the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of electronic cigarettes in the interest of public health to protect the people from harm and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.”
On April 30, the IPL issued a statement confirming that Parag had been fined 25 per cent of his match fee and earned one demerit point for a Level One breach of Article 2.21 of the league's Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials. The statement also hinted at the entire team being penalised in some way (“the BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials and player/s to ensure that the reputation of IPL remains intact”).
Since IPL cricketers earn INR 750,000 per match, Riyan was fined INR 187,500.
This was not the first time the RR unit got into trouble this season. Team manager Romi Bhinder was seen using his phone in the team dugout, in breach of the Players and Match Officials (PMOA) protocols. He was fined and given a formal warning for the same.
Before Riyan, there was Shah Rukh Khan
Fourteen years before the Riyan incident, KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan – also one of the most popular Hindi film actors – had found himself in trouble for the same reason. RR was one of the teams on that occasion as well: they were hosting the Kolkata Knight Riders.
On April 8, RR were hosting KKR in Jaipur when Shah Rukh was spotted smoking in the stands. The Rajasthan Prohibition of Smoking Act and Non-Smoker’s Health Protection Act, 2000 prevented anyone from smoking in a public place. An offender could face imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to INR 200 (US$ 3.90/£2.4 as per 2012 rates).
On April 13, the police fined The Rajasthan Cricket Association INR 200 for “letting him smoke in the stadium in Jaipur” following a petition filed by Jaipur resident AS Rathore.
“We argued that the film star violated the law and set a wrong precedent. He smoked in stadium in full public view and deserves action against him,” said his lawyer Nemi Singh Rathore. “Our contention is that if film stars violate laws, it sends a wrong message to society.”
Shah Rukh pleaded guilty to the charges. On August 6, he paid a fine of INR 100 – 1/1875 of the fine imposed on Riyan. Even if one adjusts for inflation, the amount is below 1/1000 of Riyan’s fine.
During the same season, Shah Rukh received a five-year ban from entering the Wankhede Stadium after he got involved in a scuffle with the security during KKR’s game against the Mumbai Indians.
In 2024, the cameras caught Shah Rukh smoking again, this time during KKR’s home game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. KKR won the trophy that season – as they had in 2012, the year when Shah Rukh had been fined.
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