'BCCI needs to enforce the Sale of RCB' - Mahesh Bhupathi believes ownership change needed to turn around franchise's fortunes

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) woes were on full display on Monday April 15, as they faced the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Facing SRH, RCB conceded a staggering 287 runs in their 20 overs, the highest total ever recorded in the history of the IPL.

Despite valiant efforts from Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, and Faf du Plessis, RCB ultimately fell short by 25 runs, recording their fifth consecutive loss in IPL 2024. After RCB's poor show, Indian tennis great Mahesh Bhupathi penned down a heartfelt note to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), urging them to enforce the sale of RCB to a new owner who can rejuvenate the franchise.

"For the sake of the Sport, the IPL, the fans, and even the players I think BCCI needs to enforce the Sale of RCB to a New owner who will care to build a sports franchise the way most of the other teams have done so," Bhupathi wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Also read: Glenn Maxwell sheds light on stepping aside for SRH clash in Bengaluru

Team sport is not just about individuals: Michael Vaughan

Bhupathi's comments come after former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan commented on RCB's inability to translate their star power into team success. Vaughan highlighted, "What I like about the fact the RCB has never won is it proves to me that team sport is not just about individuals. You can go and buy all the biggest individual names and put them into a team but it doesn't mean you're going to win and it's been proven at the RCB," he said on The Ranveer Show on YouTube.

Also read: How can Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualify for playoffs after losing to SRH?

"They've they've signed some incredible players - AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Faf - unbelievable players. But it tells you unless you get the whole team operating and every single play knowing the roles and identifying different roles for different people it might be that you have to rejig your team slightly just to allow someone else to flourish in a different position I don't see the RCB s doing that," the Englishman further added.
 
After their defeat last night, the Bengaluru-based franchise's chances of qualifying for the playoffs are slimming, as all their games from now on are virtual knockouts, and they need to quickly regroup and think about what can be done to change their fortunes around.