"For The Sake Of IPL...": Tennis Legend Writes To BCCI, Wants RCB Sold

It was a tough day to be a Royal Challengers Bengaluru fan on Monday. Facing SunRisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Faf du Plessis led side conceded 287 in 20 overs - the most in IPL's history. Though Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, and Du Plessis played entertaining knocks, chasing 288 was always going to be a tough task. Ultimately, RCB fell short by 25 runs and slumped to their fifth straight loss in the IPL 2024. With every loss, RCB is going farther away from a playoff spot. The team is currently placed last among 10 teams. 

RCB are one of the three teams apart from Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings which have been playing the IPL since 2008 but are yet to win the tournament. 

On Monday, as RCB put up yet another hapless performance, Indian tennis great Mahesh Bhupathi penned a very heartfelt note on X.   

"For the sake of the Sport, the IPL, the fans and even the players i think BCCI needs to enforce the Sale of RCB to a New owner who will care to build a sports franchise the way most of the other teams have done so. #tragic," Mahesh Bhupathi posted on X.

For the sake of the Sport , the IPL, the fans and even the players i think BCCI needs to enforce the Sale of RCB to a New owner who will care to build a sports franchise the way most of the other teams have done so. #tragic

— Mahesh Bhupathi (@Maheshbhupathi) April 15, 2024

Bhupathi's comment comes days after former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan commented on why RCB, as a team, has not been able to fire despite having some great stars in this line-up.   

"What I like about the fact the RCB have never won is it proves to me that team sport is not just about individuals. You can go and buy all the biggest individual names and put them into a team but it doesn't mean you're going to win and it's been proven at the RCB," he said on The Ranveer Show on YouTube.

"They've they've signed some incredible players - AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Faf - unbelievable players. But it tells you unless you get the whole team operating and every single play knowing the roles and identifying different roles for different people and it might be that you have to rejig your team slightly just to allow someone else to flourish in a different position I don't see the RCB s doing that," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

Mahesh Bhupathi Royal Challengers Bengaluru Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2024 Cricket