'Anil is a cricketing genius and a good leader'

Not one to beat around the bush, Mallya spoke openly about his association with Wadiyar. “Yes I did come in through Wadiyar in the last elections. That’s a fact and I am confirming that,” he said. So what made him switch sides? “I have known him (Wadiyar) for more than 25 years and I call him ‘Prince,’” he began. “What I figured later is that his supporters had just one agenda – destroy Brijesh (Patel). I don’t think the Maharaja had the same passion about destroying Brijesh but his team surely had and that meant cricket took a backseat. I became a disturbed spectator, a frustrated spectator in all this politics. I hope this time around, all that will stop."

Pitching in for president-hopeful Kumble, the Member of Parliament underlined the former India skipper’s leadership and administrative qualities. “It gives me great pleasure to be here and be part of the team led by Anil Kumble and (secretary-aspirant) Javagal Srinath,” Mallya noted. “We all know that Anil is a cricketing genius but he is a good leader too. In the first IPL, Royal Challengers had a bad year and as a team owner, I was ashamed, but all it took to turn it around was the elevation of Anil to captaincy and after that we have made it to the semifinals and final of the IPL and even in the Champions League, we have done well. It reflects Anil’s astute leadership skills.

“Anil, Srinath and the other cricketers are like missiles and we, who are part of their group, are like the launchers and it is our responsibility to ensure that these missiles stay on target,” he pointed out.

Mallya reiterated that he was committed to the KSCA’s academy. “I remain committed to the academy, (but) KSCA was unable to start one. I have seen what happens in meetings over the last three years. Nothing happens. As a sponsor I was willing to support the KSCA academy and I did release some money but it was not implemented well. We need cricketing people to give it a cricketing framework. I believe this team can do that,” observed Mallya, who in a few months’ time will be launching a talent hunt across India for the best race driver. “I will train him, give him the best facilities, take him to the Formula One circuit,” he declared.

Earlier, Kumble stated his reasons for jumping into the fray. “We always thought that a lot more can be done by the KSCA and then we thought that instead of staying outside and criticising the system, we would rather get in and help improve the game," Kumble said, while Srinath assured everyone of improved facilities for players, public and members.

Having paved the way for new blood, Patel hoped and requested for a clear mandate. “In the last elections, we did not have a clear mandate and that did not help. So, I request the members to give a clear mandate to our team.”

Objection

Meanwhile, Wadiyar reacting to Mallya's comments said: “I led the team in KSCA as the president of not one group but the whole managing committee team. In that sense I take strong objection to Dr Vijay Mallya's statement against what he calls my supporters. We are free-thinkers, so everyone was allowed to have his say, that's the way I functioned," said Wadiyar.