In a thanks-giving act, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will delight the audience at the Eden Gardens here Thursday with a 20-minute performance ahead of his Kolkata Knight Riders team's Indian Premier League (IPL) match with Bangalore Royal Challengers.

'Shah Rukh will be performing with his troupe for about 20 minutes before Thursday's match starts. We will put up a makeshift 30 ft x 20 ft stage just outside the boundary near F or J block in the gallery,' Red Chillies event manager Mohammad Morani told Tuesday.

Sources at Red Chillies, a firm floated by the star, said Shah Rukh was overwhelmed with the support his team was receiving in Kolkata though they had suffered four defeats in a row. 'So this performance is to thank the KKR supporters in Bollywood style,' said a source.

'Actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor have given their verbal consent to be part of the show. Besides, famous WWE wrestler Khali may also make a brief appearance at the show,' sources said.

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Amitabha Banerjee said: 'We don't have a problem with Shah Rukh's performance if the arrangements don't interrupt ours.'

But West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty said: 'Thursday is Pochishe Boishakh - the birth anniversary of poet Rabindranath Tagore. Kolkatans celebrate this day with Tagore's songs and poems. Shah Rukh's performance that day will not be in tune with the mood of Rabindra Jayanti.'