The title of this post might surprise you, but, it is an
opinion on the hottest topic of the moment 'fan loyalty' that's caused a major issue with RCB fan club too apart from the KKR supporters.
If you say that you would prefer good governance over governance by a particular political party then you are likely to understand my opinion.
As expected, auctions happened and IPL teams got restructured. What was unscheduled was the fact that RCB has got an entirely new look team apart from Virat Kohli and Abhimanyu Mithun. Now this reshuffling has created mayhem among the fans. Some people have declared that they are leaving the fan club whereas a lot of others have been very vocal in their criticism and expressing dislike about the new team.
My question is, who exactly left the club? Were they RCB fans or were they fans of individuals? I would say that only the latter have left because RCB is a sports club and not a 'player fan club'. When I gladly claimed and got my tag of 'RCB Fanatic Fan', it was not merely because I am a big fan of Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, but, I got it because I loved the team and I supported it wholeheartedly. In the IPL, it didn't matter to me whether Dale Steyn took a wicket or Praveen Kumar, whether Kallis hit a six or Uthappa. What mattered to me was RCB got a wicket or got a six added to its score. I praised Robin because he played for RCB and not vice versa.
If I go on chasing my individual favorites then I would have been forced to support MI, KXIP, Raj Royals, DC, RCB, DDR and even CSK which is one team that I really despise. I am sure most of you would be faced with such a situation if you were to support your favorite cricketers. Afterall, who doesn't like Dravid, Sachin, Sehwag, Watson, Warner, Yuvraj or Raina? Apart from these few I also enjoyed the performances of Saurabh Tiwary, Dirk Nannes, RP Singh and Lasith Malinga.
What one should understand as a fan of a sporting franchise is that the support should be to the team and not to the individual player. I wish my favorite batsmen like Rahul and Sachin loads of luck, but, I won't pray for them to help their teams defeat RCB. That's how it works and that's how it should be.
In my opinion, this spate of desertion, criticism is good for RCB. It is a part of the process of evolution and those who now remain with the club are likely to remain with it irrespective of who plays and who doesn't. Those who used to say that RCB one day will become the equivalent of Man U in cricketing circles must know that Man U is all about the club and not an individual like Wayne Rooney or anyone else. Its fans have shown the maturity, love and support over a considerable period of time to make it what it is right now. Wishing RCB a similar future and always an RCB Fanatic Fan, I welcome the new team and look forward to some exciting moments.
The past was good and the future shall be better!
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