It has been a cold start so far for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League and with Graeme Smith and Dimitri Mascarenhas returning home with injuries, the champion, in the inaugural edition, is scrambling for a toehold.
“The absence of Smith and Mascarenhas has left a big hole but we believe that we have the players who can step in and show some character and all this is part of building our squad,” said Sean Morris, CEO, Rajasthan Royals, here on Thursday evening.
Morris initially refused to be drawn into a discussion on Ravindra Jadeja, who was banned from the IPL for violating contractual norms. However on constant prodding, Morris admitted: “May be in the game we lost by four runs (against Mumbai Indians), Jadeja could have made a difference but I see no point in thinking about what we don't have. We would love to have him with us.”
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The CEO kept insisting that the Royals' emphasis on local talent is evident in the team structure and pointed to the trio of Amit Uniyal, Paras Dogra and Kamran Khan, who were sitting next to him.
The trio were unanimous in their approval of Shane Warne as their skipper. “He is a born leader,” said Uniyal. “You learn a lot from him,” added Dogra and Kamran gushed: “He has the unique ability to spot the talent within you.” And as for the financial base, Morris said that there is nothing to worry. “We are happy financially but we must understand that building international brands in not an overnight business,” Morris said.