Instances when IPL owners intruded the game

Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta and its coach Sanjay Bangar have denied that the former recently gave Bangar a dressing down after a defeat. But tongues are still wagging. And it does not help that in the past some owners have interfered in the cricketing aspect of their teams.
Preity Zinta After a defeat against Bengaluru, there was a report that Preity entered the dressing room and tore into coach Bangar. Preity, the report said, wanted to know why a certain batting order was not followed.

It quoted anonymous sources that she also used the f-word during her tirade. Preity furiously denied the story on her Facebook page. Bangar did the same. But for those familiar with celebrity egos, the jury's still out.

Vijay Mallya Mallya was in the thick of it at RCB, even if his cricketing acumen had the propor tions of a bikini. Rahul Dravid, the team's icon player at the beginning, was not happy with VJM's overbearing ways. The team also quickly did away with its CEO, Charu Sharma, when he sympathised with players.Mallya wanted results quickly, and when he didn't get them, he did not hold back the criticism.His other habit that took getting used to was meetings at odd hours when he was on a stopover during travels. Working with Mallya means some kingsize hassles for his colleagues.


Image: PTI

Shah Rukh Khan At a function in Mumbai, Sourav Ganguly was asked what was easier-captaining India or Kolkata Knight Riders. Ganguly said India because no one called him in the middle of the night to ask why someone didn't bowl the slower one in the 18th over.The remark was interpreted as targeted towards Shah Rukh Khan, KKR's co-owner.In the initial years, SRK could get too involved in the cricketing aspect. But sources also say that the actor is warm towards the team's players. And KKR's two title wins have calmed the angst somewhat.


Image: AFP

T Venkattram Reddy Before Sunrisers Hyderabad, the city's IPL franchise was Deccan Chargers. It was co-owned by Deccan Chronicle Holding Ltd ( DCHL) .The firm's chairman was T Venkattram Reddy, a man who later had assault and fraud cases against him. Like Mallya, Reddy had luxury cars and horses. And when the Deccan Chargers were not doing well in 2009, he wrote a stern email to the coach, Darren Lehmann, and key players. “The only thing charging about this team is the bull in the logo,“ was one of the lines in the mail. But the action motivated the team and they won the title