If the launch in Kolkata on Tuesday was a mega affair, the event in Mumbai on Thursday afternoon was glamourous. Bollywood actors, his business colleagues and cricketers walked the red carpet.

Sourav Ganguly, the team’s captain and easily Khan’s equal when it comes to cricket, headed the list followed by youngsters Ishant Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara among others.

Although Khan’s company Red Chillies Entertainment did not bag the Mumbai franchise, the celebration he led on Thursday in a suburban five-star hotel almost threatened to pull the carpet from under the home team’s feet, at least for the star appeal.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, Khan’s good friend, was the chief guest. “I was wondering what I am supposed to be doing here. And what are the Knight Riders doing on the home turf of the Mumbai team? Are they declaring some sort of yudh (war)?” asked Modi.

Khan, instead, chose the path that he’s tread so often. Walking up to the stage, he pulled a few legs, came up with some cheeky one-liners, played his team’s official theme song at full blast, and responded to a packed media conference with élan.

From movies to India’s loss in hockey—easily the most frequent question he faces these days, how he’ll earn money from his IPL investment and Bollywood’s much anticipated participation, he answered them all.

When they asked what he had to say on Aamir Khan’s declaration that SRK was second to him, he said: “I take it as a compliment. After all I’ve said kkkk…Kiran only in a film (Darr). Aamir says it in real life (Aamir’s wife’s name is Kiran).”

For those arguing that he earned his money from a film based on hockey and was now investing in cricket, Khan said: “I am an actor. I don’t do in real life what I do in movies. In movies, I have thrown a girl from the fortieth floor. I don’t do that in real life.”

After further gimmicks, like standing up on a chair to greet the tall Ishant, Khan returned to the serious side of affairs.

“I am happy that I have a team like Kolkata. The Eden Gardens has a capacity of close to one lakh. There’s a club culture that already exists (Mohun Bagan taking on East Bengal in football is as popular as India taking on Pakistan in cricket). These are important things that will benefit us. I am cracking jokes right now because I have to keep you entertained. But otherwise, believe me, there’s a lot of hard work going on to make this successful,” he said.