A day after the Kolkata Knight Riders decided to chop off five reserves from the 23-man contingent, the team’s owner Shah Rukh Khan minced no words in defending the move, which is being seen by critics as another example of the IPL’s ‘corporatisation’ of cricket.

Bengal stalwarts Ranadeb Bose and Sourasish Lahiri, alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohan Banerjee and Yashpal Singh were told last evening by Kolkata franchise owners Red Chillies Entertainment to pack their bags and leave the contingent for the rest of the IPL campaign. The sudden decision, which is being seen many as a punitive move towards the team’s extras, has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters, with both Ranadeb and Sourasish expressing their disappointment over the move.

“Look, there should be no controversy on this issue. John (Buchanan) thought it unwise to carry on with the huge 23-member team at this stage. So, we decided to ask the five players to leave the camp for the time being,” Khan said after arriving in the city for the match against Delhi Daredevils.

“Let’s look at it positively. Basically, the coach and all of us thought that with the IPL reaching the closing phase, it’s wrong to go into four-hour practice sessions with 23 players. Instead, we want to focus on giving more practice to the core team. And these five players are not getting fired. Their contracts stay, our commitment towards them stays. This is a technical, purely cricketing decision,” Khan said.

But critics and Red Chillies insiders say that the decision was taken in a bid to cut down on the budget. It was learnt through reliable sources in the frachise that organisers were looking to cut down on expenditure including the players’ stay at the plush team hotel.

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