Even before a ball has been bowled in the IPL11 for 2018, Rajasthan Royals, who are making a comeback after 2 years, had its Howzatt moment. The team’s captain Steve Smith has lost credibility as a leader after he instigated his Australian teammates to have a go at ball tampering in South Africa.
It’s not for the first time that Royals have been dumbfounded. Following are the instances when RR had to wash its ‘dirty linen’ in public.
- 2010:
Ravindra Jadeja had a "black" past. He breached players’ guidelines by not renewing his contract with the Royals and tried to negotiate a more profitable deal with other franchises. Following this, IPL Governing Council slapped a one-year ban on him. - 2012:
Lalit Modi claimed that he was ‘arm-twisted’ by Srinivasan to allow Andrew Flintoff's sale to CSK in the 2009 auction. E-mail exchanges proved how Royals were held off from bidding for Flintoff. - 2013:
India pacer S Sreesanth, domestic players Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan were nabbed by Delhi Police's Special Cell for spot-fixing three of Royals' games. Also, Royals co-owner Raj Kundra confessed to betting. - 2015:
Royals were found guilty of illegal betting and match-fixing probe. The Supreme Court-appointed three-member panel suspended the franchise for two years over the corruption scandal. - 2018:
Rajasthan Royals captain Steve Smith admitted of ball-tampering during Australia’s Test match against South Africa that forced the IPL franchise to ax him from leading the side.
source: dnaindia
