‘For IPL…’: Tennis legends write to BCCI, looking to sell RCB

Monday was a tough day for Royal Challengers Bangalore fans. Against SunRisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Faf du Plessis-led side conceded 287 goals in 20 matches, the most by any team in the history of IPL. While the batting of Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli and Du Plessis was entertaining, chasing 288 was always going to be a tough task. In the end, RCB fell behind by 25 points and suffered a fifth consecutive defeat in IPL 2024. With every defeat, RCB moves further and further away from a playoff spot. The team is currently ranked bottom among 10 teams.

RCB is one of the three teams besides Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab that have been participating in the IPL since 2008 but are yet to win the tournament.

Indian tennis superstar Mahesh Bhupathi penned a heartfelt message on X as RCB struggled again on Monday.

“For the sake of the sport, IPL, fans and even players, I think BCCI needs to sell RCB to a new owner who will build a sports franchise like most other teams do. #Tragedy,” Mahesh Bhupathi posted on X.

For the sake of sports, IPL, fans and even players, I think BCCI needs to sell RCB to a new owner who will build a sports franchise like most other teams. #tragic

— Mahesh Bhupathi (@Maheshbhupathi) April 15, 2024

Bhupathi’s remarks come days after former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan commented on why RCB as a team, despite having some great stars in the lineup, failed to perform.

“I like the fact that RCB never won because it proves to me that team sports are not just about individuals. You can go and buy all the best-known individual players and put them into a team, but that doesn’t mean “We will win and that has been proven at RCB,” he said on The Ranveer Show on YouTube.

“They signed some unbelievable players – AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Faf – these are unbelievable players. But it tells you that unless you get the whole squad going “Understanding the roles and identifying different roles for them every game, maybe you have to tweak your team a little bit just to have others flourish in different positions and I don’t think RCB will do that,” he said. ” he added.