Did fitness lead to Dada's ouster?
Is it in the fitness of things that Sourav Ganguly has been done away with? After Kolkata Knight Riders decided to announce Brendon McCullum as captain of the team for Sunday's match against Team Hyderabad in Indian Premier League, talk of Ganguly's fitness, or the lack of it, and team owner Shah Rukh Khan not being happy with it, has started doing the rounds here.
Those in the Khan camp say they have no idea about the exact reason why Ganguly has been sidelined. But they are ready to bet their money on the fact that it is Ganguly's fitness that irked the owner and coach John Buchanan the most.
This is not something new, though. There were signs last year itself, just that it never came out in the open, said the official.
However, Indyalive had learnt of Khan giving his team members a pep talk on phone earlier and two days ago in person about how Ganguly would remain the leader and that the players needn't worry as to who they would be playing under.
However, Friday's decision came as a shocker for the former India captain who, say sources, had no clue about it.
Khan apparently became a McCullum fan from the day he cracked that 158 in Bangalore in the Season 1 opener. Since then, says an official, the Bollywood superstar had set his eyes on the wicketkeeper batsman and his abilities as a key Twenty20 performer.
Ganguly is not getting along with Buchanan and that is the worst kept secret in IPL 2009 circles. However, why Khan too made his discontent public with his latest decision has come as a surprise to even his own officials.
Those in the Khan camp say they have no idea about the exact reason why Ganguly has been sidelined. But they are ready to bet their money on the fact that it is Ganguly's fitness that irked the owner and coach John Buchanan the most.
This is not something new, though. There were signs last year itself, just that it never came out in the open, said the official.
However, Indyalive had learnt of Khan giving his team members a pep talk on phone earlier and two days ago in person about how Ganguly would remain the leader and that the players needn't worry as to who they would be playing under.
However, Friday's decision came as a shocker for the former India captain who, say sources, had no clue about it.
Khan apparently became a McCullum fan from the day he cracked that 158 in Bangalore in the Season 1 opener. Since then, says an official, the Bollywood superstar had set his eyes on the wicketkeeper batsman and his abilities as a key Twenty20 performer.
Ganguly is not getting along with Buchanan and that is the worst kept secret in IPL 2009 circles. However, why Khan too made his discontent public with his latest decision has come as a surprise to even his own officials.
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