Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor has claimed that one of the owners of the Rajasthan Royals franchise “slapped” him during the 2011 IPL season. He further said that he was slapped by the franchise’s owner after being dismissed for a duck during a game against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in Mohali.
Ross Taylor: Black & White, his new book, revealed the bombshell. Taylor, who played his final international match against the Netherlands in March of this year, was well-known in India. He was a key member of many teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Kiwi disclosed in his book that one of the IPL owners hit him four times in one shocking episode.
The incident
The incident is from the 23rd match of the season. Punjab had set a frightening 195/7 on the board thanks to Shaun Marsh’s 71-run inning. The Royals were no match for Punjab on the day. They finished their 20 overs on 147/7 with none of the batsmen able to get going. Taylor was also out for a duck after five deliveries.
Taylor describes the event, adding that Shane Warne and his companion Liz Hurley were there at the hotel’s bar. Other players and team management was also th on the top level.
The batsman writes, “One of the Royals owners said to me, ‘Ross, we didn’t pay you a million dollars to get a duck’ and slapped me across the face three or four times.”
He went on to say that they were not harsh slaps. Taylor adds that he was taken aback by what was going on in a professional situation.
He also claimed that he preferred to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Taylor played with RCB for the first three years of the IPL. Later RR purchased him for $1 million in 2011.
Ross Taylor refused to identify the team owner who had struck him. It is noteworthy that the primary owner of the Rajasthan Royals IPL franchise is Manoj Badale of Emerging Media IPL Limited. Lachlan Murdoch of Bluewater Estate Limited and the US-based private equity company RedBird Capital Partners both hold a portion of the squad. Legendary leg spinner Shane Warne, who passed away in March of this year, still holds some of the shares.
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