“If it's not working, let's close it” - When Akshay Kumar magnanimously terminated his contract to save Delhi Capitals from severe financial losses

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar generously terminated his lucrative contract with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2009 to save the Indian Premier League franchise from huge losses, according to a new book by cricket administrator Amrit Mathur.

While Delhi signed Kumar as their brand ambassador ahead of the inaugural IPL edition in 2008, they were forced to end the three-year deal prematurely, as the finances weren’t working out. However, things could have gotten extremely tricky for the franchise, as the contract had guaranteed the Bollywood actor full compensation irrespective of early termination.

In his book 'Pitchside: My Life in Indian Cricket' published by Westland Sport, cricket administrator Mathur hailed Kumar for showing great generosity and ending the contract without seeking full compensation, saving Delhi from suffering financial losses.

Detailing the incident in his book, Mathur wrote:

"Akshay signed a three-year deal with Delhi Daredevils to shoot promotional films, attend meet and greet events and make appearances at corporate events.

"Apart from Kotla act (he performed daring stunts), nothing much happened because DD didn't know how to leverage him. At the end of the season, during elaborate post-mortem held against backdrop of serious financial losses, DD decided to cancel or renegotiate the contract.”

Mathur went on to add that the legal terms meant that the ball was in Akshay’s court with regard to how he wanted to proceed with the contract. The administrator added:

"Akshay's contract provided no exit; on the contrary, it gave him solid guarantees for a period of three years. DD's lawyers approached Akshay's staff, wanting to revisit the contract, but they made no headway. The (legally correct) response from his side was that (the) contract didn't factor in early termination, and it has run its course with full monetary compensation."

"Seen from perspective of DD, Akshay's multi-crore contract could be equated to a self-goal or hit-wicket dismissal. Considering the disastrous financial results and need for austerity, the star had become an avoidable expense. Knowing there was no legal lifeline available, DD appealed to Akshay for mercy," he elaborated in the book.

Mathur said that he was chosen as a trouble-shooter and had the tough task of negotiating with Kumar when he met the actor in his vanity van during the shooting of the film Chandni Chowk to China.

"After the shot, we returned to his vanity van, and I, very hesitantly, explained the reason for my visit and outlined DD's financial troubles," he wrote.

Mathur was left stunned by Kumar’s response. He recalled in the book:

"No problem ji, he said in a sympathetic manner. If it's not working, let's close it. I thought I hadn't heard him right.

"Seeing my confused look, he clarified slowly, 'Isko khatam kar dete hain (let us end this)'. When I mumbled about the stringent contract clauses, he reassured me, 'Koi baat nahin, main lawyer ko bol dunga (No problem, I will tell the lawyer)'."

Reacting to Kumar's unexpected magnanimous gesture, Mathur wrote in his book:

"Even after so many years, I am surprised that Akshay waived off such a large amount of money. Just like that -- snap decision when he could have easily thrown the contract at us."

Delhi Capitals are yet to win the IPL. Their best performance came in 2020 when they finished runners-up.

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Who is Amrit Mathur?

An experienced cricket administrator, Mathur was the manager of the Indian cricket team during their historic tour of South Africa in 1992. Subsequently, he was part of PILCOM, the organising committee formed for the 1996 Cricket World Cup.

He also served as the chief operating officer of Delhi Daredevils and general manager of BCCI.