The much-awaited meeting between the IPL franchise owners and the BCCI office-bearers finally happened. Nothing much has come of it yet, but apparently there was a verbal altercation between two owners. Some franchises also want to ban certain players who’ve made a habit of pulling out of the tournament after being bought at auction. Gautam Gambhir ‘warned ‘advised’ players to keep their fitness in check and also oversaw Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first time in the nets. Kohli was also heckled by a fan, and Jay Shah is all set to be replaced by Mohsin Naqvi in a prominent position.
Shah Rukh Khan vs Ness Wadia
It started as a meeting and ended in a tussle. The BCCI and franchises met up to discuss what was going to happen in the IPL. Talks did happen, but a verbal fight between two owners grabbed the headlines. Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan and Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia disagreed about IPL retentions and mega auction and ended up exchanging verbal blows.
Fan calls Virat Kohli ‘chokli’
Every now and then, fans cross the line. Often, they abuse players online following a tough loss due to their poor performance. Sometimes, they lash out without rhyme or reason. That’s what happened to Virat Kohli, who was yelled at by a random fan. The person called him ‘chokli’, a term used by many toxic fans indicating that Kohli chokes in must-win matches.
IPL to ban foreign players?
Some IPL franchises want strict action to be taken against foreign players who ditch the team midway without giving any valid reason. They told the BCCI officials that their sudden withdrawal destabilized them. Some even suggested that some repeat offenders should be ‘banned’ for competing in further editions.
Kohli & Rohit’s first session under Gambhir
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma practiced under new head coach Gautam Gambhir’s supervision for the first time. Before the ODI series against Sri Lanka kicks off on August 2, the two veterans had lengthy chats with the new commander chief at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Mohsin Naqvi replaces Jay Shah as ACC President
There is a sudden shift in power in Asia. India, which is already the most powerful cricket nation in the world, was also leading the Asia Cricket Council (ACC), with Jay Shah as the organization’s president. That’s not going to be the case for much longer, with PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi likely to take over Shah’s role due to the ACC’s rotation policy.
Gambhir warns Indian players
We always knew Gautam Gambhir was going to be a strict taskmaster. He has a no-nonsense attitude, and that can already be seen thanks to BCCI’s newly released video after India whitewashed Sri Lanka. The head coach told the players who won’t be part of the ODI series that he needs to be in shape when they return to the India team next time and that they can’t just ‘show up’.