Kamal Ghorui
If the inconvenience of getting stuck between a rock and a hard place had a face to go with right now, it would somewhat resemble Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The aftermath of last year’s stampede in the heart of the city, immediately after RCB won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title, was an open wound left unattended. The prognosis around it kept getting political, controversial, and somewhat murky — all to the extent that cricket fans became convinced the IPL wasn’t returning to Bangalore in a hurry.However, a change of administration in the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) saw former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad take control. Prasad and his team lobbied with the state government in Karnataka to put in place some stringent Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) based on which the RCB could return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. So far, so good. To that extent one thought cricket was once again returning to RCB’s home ground and last year’s incident — a national embarrassment of mammoth proportions — would undergo a healing process.
However, that doesn’t appear to be the case. RCB, it is learnt, is finding it difficult to adhere to the entire list of SOPs drafted by the state and city authorities. To put things in a nutshell, RCB management isn’t convinced how all the boxes pertaining to the SOPs can be ticked with a firm guarantee and therefore, a 100% commitment has become a bit of a concern.Keeping these grey areas in mind, RCB — which was already looking at playing outside of Bangalore until KSCA began addressing the issue — has started looking at alternate venues once again. They’ve gone back to evaluating options in the state of Chhattisgarh, have requested a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Mumbai Indians to play in Navi Mumbai, and are open to other “suitable options”. While there’s no guarantee yet how these things will pan out, it is beginning to sound a bit too weird that the franchise is currently on sale and in the process of finalising a buyer.Adar Poonawalla, a leading businessman from Pune — a city that is incidentally expected to host a chunk of Rajasthan Royals matches this year — tweeted on Thursday evening that he was looking to put in a strong and competitive bid for RCB. This is close to three months since United Spirits Ltd announced the initiation of a strategic review of its investment in the franchise. There have been reports of other potential buyers too, but the larger question remains — with the franchise caught in a loop around the venue allotment, how feasible it is for an investor to bank on?That also leaves us with Rajasthan Royals, another team that has perennially faced troubles with its home state authorities, particularly the bureaucracy. Tired of having to endlessly find ways to lobby for ‘peace’, Royals don’t mind looking at other destinations now — which is precisely why Pune and Guwahati are being spoken of as alternate ‘home’ venues for the franchise. In fact, one hears RR doesn’t mind permanently shifting the team out of Rajasthan, if given a choice.It is time the BCCI sits up to take note of these dips in stakeholder relations. Political skirmishes are taking a toll on Brand IPL and given that the tournament happens to be India’s pride and among its finest exports to the world, it’ll do authorities across the country a world of good to keep it wrapped in cotton wool. Until long-term solutions are found, expect controversies to keep ruling, valuations to keep dipping and fans to keep suffering.
