By Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

What shambles! On the one hand, there is the super successful inaugural edition of the IPL and on the other day, a team drowning in its own misery. If the controversies rocking the IPL have been of a high magnitude, here’s one that tickles the ribs.
Conjecture in your mind as a members of the Royal Challengers squad, the scenario where after a high energy opening ceremony (always a tough act to follow), the Royal Challengers take the field on their home turf in front of the record capacity crowd (not necessarily partisan given that this match followed the opening extravaganza). Not an easy feat when you happen to be the member of the team that has to walk the plank first. Add to the missive, comes a man who has been targeted as a batsman to watch out for. Brendon McCullum was coming on the back of a hiding he meted out, and by the saga of event, was not quite filled in the belly. On the grand occasion, he times an innings of perfection that has class, majesty and brute force in one heady concoction.
Thereafter it would have an uphill climb for any team in the tournament, especially with this being the first match. But the Royal Challengers are continuing to relive the nightmares of that hangover. Other teams have lost their respective first matches and yet have come back fighting strong in the tournament, without the wherewithal that the Royal Challengers enjoy. None more so than the Rajasthan Royals perhaps.
Stories have flooded the tabloids. The Royal Challengers are a Test team who have no place in the IPL event. What an unfair comment! To make a statement like that is to undermine some of the world class players that the Royal Challengers managed to get hold of. Even if these are players without the reputation to bludgeon the ball a la Hayden or Sehwag, they enjoy the enormity of experience at the international level in tough situations that should have made them formidable. To their credit, there has been a day when Dravid fired, another when Wasim Jaffer did, yet another when Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher did, although not all in cohesion which has been their undoing. If the Royal Challengers resemblance a Test squad, the Rajasthan Royals, apart from Shane Warne and Graeme Smith, are essentially a bunch of discards and left behinds (Shane Watson included). Look at how they have performed.
If firing Charu Sharma, Vijay Mallya had naively shot himself in the foot. Rumours abound of the latter’s unhappiness over Misbah’s non-inclusion. But it as Ross Taylor who performed when Misbah was not even unavailable! If the rumour mills are true of discontent within the camp, it is because Mallya has shown ineptitude to run a cricket team. After the mauling at McCullum’s hands, an off day which every team is entitled to, prudence would have suggested encouragement rather than condemnation would have done the world of good. If the team was failing, there were reasons to explore, not a inconsequential CEO to fire! No matter what the platter of rumours, it sounds like a bunch of hogwash, unless there is truth to the narrow-minded of Mallya’s reign as franchisee owner.
Brijesh Patel may well have been a wise appointment (Charu cannot be judged since few are aware of his credentials). Simple cricket logic would have suggested that the team be encouraged to put up a fight, do something off the field to get their mind off their troubles and encouraging boding and enjoy each game in the hope that relaxation will bring forth the desired result. Instead the internet is plastered with images of Mallya putting his hand around Dravid’s shoulder in encouragement, we are told (but is Mallya holding Dravid by the scruff of his neck and telling him how to captain his side? we can only wonder!). A little birdie also suggested Mark Boucher was offered to lead the team in the midst but he (wisely concur) refused while Mallya desisted from making the big change given Dravid’s icon status.
Discretion would have suggested he bide out the present season before ringing in such changes, that too in such haste that they have left room enough for slander and much malign. Charu is saying much without saying anything. Mallya is telling the world that as much as he enjoys his drink, he enjoys the trigger-happy, whimsical mission to hire at will and fire indiscriminating leaving much ill will! Not exactly calming the butterflies in the dressing room, are we, Mr. Mallya?