The biggest T20 league in the world, be it for cash or players, the IPL is always a star-studded affair. But not many highlight the fact that just like any other twinkling thing, it too has its dark secrets which have been kept away from the public domain. One such secret got revealed when ex-Indian batter Robin Uthappa revealed how he was forced out of the Mumbai Indian setup as he was not performing well.
“My Way or the Highway”- Mumbai camp to Uthappa in 2008
“So, I was along with Zaheer Khan and Manish Pandey. I was one of the first people to be transferred into the IPL. For me, it became extremely difficult because my loyalties were completely laid out with MI at that point. It happened a month before the IPL and I refused to sign the transfer papers,”
Uthappa said in a conversation with Ashwin
Also Read: Why cricket is popular in 12 countries only? Reasons explained
The 35-year-old made his IPL debut with Mumbai Indians in the inaugural IPL(2008). After which he moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the following season.
“I was going through something in my personal life and I was completely in depression during my first season with RCB. I didn’t play well even for one game that season. The only game in which I did well was when I was dropped and picked again. I played thinking that I really needed to do something in this match. Someone from MI, I won’t name him, had told me that if I didn’t sign the transfer papers, I’d not get to play in the XI for MI,”
Robbie added…
