<p>The event was the much hyped Tilak ceremony which was organised by the chewing gum associate of team. After appearing way beyond the stipulated time, all that the RCB and their heavyweight body guards could drum up by way of an interaction with the media was a studied photo op, followed by a few trite and highly predictable comments as they vanished mysteriously behind a curtained enclave.<br /><br />A group of children from a Bangalore based organisation called New Hope were brought in to garland the team and wish them luck in the Champions League. The children, who were a mix of orphans and destitutes, were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the team, close enough to at least garland them and apply a Tilak to their foreheads.<br /><br />“It would be better if they started playing like superstars instead of merely trying to behave like them,” observed one caustic bystander as the team and their publicity agents played peekaboo with the assembled press all evening.<br /><br />“Although we played well in the Premier League we lost the championship but will hopefully do well this time round. We also promise to chew more gum during the matches on and off the field,” said Captain Anil Kumble.<br /><br />Robin Uthappa who hasn’t been his professional best in recent times promised to “play good cricket for the Royal Challengers. Bangalore has a great number of cricket fans as was evidenced by the large turnover during the recent KPL matches. I have been concentrating on improving my bowling and fielding,” he added.</p>
<p>The event was the much hyped Tilak ceremony which was organised by the chewing gum associate of team. After appearing way beyond the stipulated time, all that the RCB and their heavyweight body guards could drum up by way of an interaction with the media was a studied photo op, followed by a few trite and highly predictable comments as they vanished mysteriously behind a curtained enclave.<br /><br />A group of children from a Bangalore based organisation called New Hope were brought in to garland the team and wish them luck in the Champions League. The children, who were a mix of orphans and destitutes, were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the team, close enough to at least garland them and apply a Tilak to their foreheads.<br /><br />“It would be better if they started playing like superstars instead of merely trying to behave like them,” observed one caustic bystander as the team and their publicity agents played peekaboo with the assembled press all evening.<br /><br />“Although we played well in the Premier League we lost the championship but will hopefully do well this time round. We also promise to chew more gum during the matches on and off the field,” said Captain Anil Kumble.<br /><br />Robin Uthappa who hasn’t been his professional best in recent times promised to “play good cricket for the Royal Challengers. Bangalore has a great number of cricket fans as was evidenced by the large turnover during the recent KPL matches. I have been concentrating on improving my bowling and fielding,” he added.</p>
