By Lokendra Pratap Sahi
Pune (The Telegraph): Had the majority view prevailed at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA)’s managing committee meeting on Friday, then Shah Rukh Khan would have been banned for life from entering the Wankhede.
Eventually, the Vilasrao Deshmukh-headed MCA “unanimously” decided on a five-year ban. However, given the reaction in some quarters, one can expect this issue to remain alive.
In any case, till IPL-VI comes along, a year later, Shah Rukh won’t be required to go to the Wankhede. So, there’s enough time to...
It’s learnt by The Telegraph that quite a few among the 17 members of the managing committee would have been satisfied had Shah Rukh telephoned Deshmukh and, even belatedly, expressed regrets.
Shah Rukh, of course, hasn’t budged from his position that he’d been provoked into behaving the way he did at the Wankhede, on Wednesday night, after the Kolkata Knight Riders’ handsome win over the Mumbai Indians.
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Shah Rukh banned from Wankhede for five years
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“A call to our president would have cooled things down... By showing no remorse for gross misconduct, Shah Rukh made it impossible for the managing committee to let things pass... We don’t see how the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) can intervene, though,” is how a senior official of the MCA put it.
Speaking some hours after the unprecedented decision, the official added: “I agree this is an unusual situation, but we had to act... I’m not sure how certain people are saying that the BCCI has the final say on an internal matter of the MCA.”
The official pointed out that the Wankhede is let out for a fee during the IPL, but it’s let out to the Mumbai Indians. The other franchises don’t come into the picture.
Significantly, Deshmukh, a Union minister and a former chief minister of Maharashtra, was “very firm” at the managing committee meeting, contrary to a suggestion by some that he didn’t really want to bite the bullet.
One of Deshmukh’s sons, Riteish, is Shah Rukh’s colleague in Bollywood.
Meanwhile, according to the Knights’ CEO, Venky Mysore, Shah Rukh is expected here on Saturday for the face-off against the Pune Warriors India.
Most MCA members wanted life ban on Shah Rukh
Till IPL-VI comes along, a year later, Shah Rukh won’t be required to go to the Wankhede.
Yahoo! Cricket – Sat 19 May, 2012 2:42 PM ISTMatches
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MUMRAJ - Match tied1st ODI
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