VVS Laxman has firmly backed Rahul Dravid, his India team-mate and Indian Premier League rival, whose Bangalore Royal Challengers is at the centre of a simmering controversy after Vijay Mallya, the industrialist who owns the team, publicly questioned its composition and performance.

“For sure, Rahul is a good captain,” Laxman, who led the Deccan Chargers till a wrist injury ruled him out of the rest of this IPL season, told Cricinfo. “Even if you see the games Rahul’s team have lost, some of them were very close. If they had won those, no questions would have been raised about his captaincy. I am sure he will bounce back because I know he is a very tough character. He has been in this situation before in the Indian team, and I have no doubt that he will overcome this one, too.

“Everyone has been trying their best and people have to realise that no cricketer ever plays to lose. So encouragement from the owners is very important when you are not doing well,” he said.

But Laxman said that the IPL’s team owners had every right to ask questions, given their investments. “The owners can ask why things are not happening. But here, I can only speak for my team and say our owners have been very supportive. They have understood that we have lost some games. It was very important for us that even during the tough periods, they came, spoke to us and encouraged us.”

Laxman said that he was aware that part of the focus in the IPL’s inaugural season was on how experienced players would fare in the shortest format. “People may have had some doubts. But I have enjoyed my batting, and am happy to have scored some good runs at a brisk pace,” he said, before adding, “Sourav (Ganguly) is doing well for himself in the IPL, too, because he is another tough competitor.”

Laxman’s team, however, has had a poor run in the tournament – Deccan are just ahead of Bangalore with two wins from nine matches and five games still to go. “I can tell you that we have some great cricketers and the bonding has been amazing. But for me, one possible factor that led to this situation was that we had only one player performing in every match. We would ideally have wanted two or three guys to click and perform on the same day.”

Laxman started his IPL campaign with a duck on a shocker of a pitch in Kolkata, but his batting started to click from the fourth game after he decided to move up from No.3 to open the innings with Adam Gilchrist, who is now leading the team. He got into the groove with a 26-ball 37 against the Mumbai Indians, and followed it up with a 34-ball 48 against Kings XI Punjab, and a 44-ball 52 against Bangalore.

On his own batting approach in Twenty20s, Laxman said: “What was probably new for me was to get set for batting even before I actually walked out. And what was important was to ensure that you have a very healthy strike rate because there are only 20 overs to get the maximum runs for your team.”

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A statement from the board said the disciplinary committee, which met on Wednesday, had decided to invoke Rule 3.2.1 of the BCCI regulations wherein the maximum punishment is ‘a ban up to a maximum of five ODIs and/or three test matches’.

“The committee accordingly decided to ban Mr. Harbhajan Singh for five one-day internationals, starting today (May 14), and observed that any further instance of misconduct will invoke a life ban,” the statement said.

The ban meant the 27-year-old off-spinner will miss the forthcoming tri-series in Bangladesh in June and the start of the Asia Cup in Pakistan.

On April 28, Harbhajan was banned for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season after being found guilty of slapping by the match referee.

The three-man disciplinary committee, which included president Sharad Pawar, were acting on a report submitted on Tuesday by commissioner Sudhir Nanavati after the board ordered an independent inquiry into the incident.

“A copy of the report was given to him (Harbhajan), who was heard by the committee,” the statement said.

“The player admitted his guilt in the concerned matter. He prayed for leniency and assured the committee that there would not be any misconduct on his part in the future.”

The slapping incident occurred after the Mumbai team, captained by Harbhajan in the absence of the injured Sachin Tendulkar, lost to Sreesanth’s Mohali.

Television pictures showed Sreesanth, an international team mate of Harbhajan’s, in tears after the game.

Harbhajan’s international ban comes four months after he was involved in a row on the controversial tour of Australia.

He was initially banned for three tests after being found guilty of making alleged racist remarks towards Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds.

But the spinner was subsequently let off with a fine following an appeal.

@ Cricbuzz

Mallya is now looking at the possibility of making big changes to his squad, including Dravid, if the rules permit.

In the wake of the dismal performance by the Royal Challengers, RCB officials are hoping that Dravid will resign on his own.

Dravid has received a lot of flak for picking rather ‘conservative’ players like himself. This has not gone down well with Mallya who was keen on buying Uthappa and Dhoni among others, but was stopped by Dravid.

The selection of veteran spinners Sunil Joshi and Anil Kumble have especially come in for sharp criticism, with RCB officials suggesting that Joshi was picked because “he is a very good friend of Dravid.”

When asked if team owners can change players, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said, “The rule is fixed for the next three years. There will be eight foreign players in the team out of which four can be inducted in the playing XI. If franchisees want to sign up new players, they are welcome to do so. But in that case, they will have to pay the existing players’ salary.”

In the wake of these scathing attacks on Dravid, former CEO Charu Sharma and Royal Challengers’ all-rounder Jacques Kallis have both come out in support of the captain.

In an interview with Times Now, Kallis backed Dravid to the hilt saying, “Rahul is an unbelievable guy. He has been around in international cricket for a long time and he always backs his side as the players back his captain. I think he has got that respect for the players and the players has got that respect for him.”

Charu Sharma also echoed Kallis’ sentiments in an interview to Times Now saying, “Rahul spent a lot of time in our office planning for the auction. He had a list based on his vast cricketing experience. Rahul did a very good job of selecting the team and I back in every decision that he has taken.”

Marlon Samuels has been found guilty by the West Indies board’s disciplinary committee of breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct for “receiving money, or benefit or other reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute.” The violation carries a minimum two-year ban and the WICB has passed on the committee’s decision and recommendations to the ICC.

The incident occurred in in February 2007, when Samuels was allegedly caught on tape by the Indian police for passing on match-related information to an Indian bookie during West Indies’ one-day series in India. Samuels denied giving out any information and the board, while supporting him, promised a transparent probe into the charges. The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACU) also arrived in India for an enquiry. Samuels was allowed to play in the World Cup while investigations continued.

The ACU’s report said Samuels indulged in “inappropriate activity” and behaved in a manner that was “prejudicial to the interests of the game of cricket”. Following that, the ICC asked the WICB to carry out its own investigations.

The disciplinary committee, which includes former West Indies captain Richie Richardson, wrote to Julian Hunte, the board president, recommending a suspended sentence on account of Samuels’ good behaviour.

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Mr. Sudhir Nanavati has submitted his report after he completed the probe into the slapgate incident.

While Mr. Nanavati has found Harbhajan guilty of a Level 4 offence, he has not recommended any punishment and has suggested that the punishment given by the IPL might be enough.

He has also added that the incident was not premeditated and there was no provocation.

More to follow…

Tendulkar said that he has recovered successfully from the groin injury which kept him out of two tests against South Africa and the first seven games of the IPL.

Tendulkar batted for two hours at the Wankhede stadium and was all praise for the support staff. He said they worked “really worked hard, especially the physio and the masseur”.

“I will be playing on May 14. It’s looking very good and I’m feeling very positive,” he added.

Sachin confirmed that he would take over the captaincy and acknowledged Pollock’s efforts as a makeshift captain. “I will be the captain. Shaun was a makeshift captain and he did a terrific job and the other senior players have also contributed well. It’s not about who the captain is but it’s about helping each other and that’s what Mumbai Indians have been doing and will continue to do.”

Tendulkar’s inclusion will greatly boost the Mumbai side who found some form after losing their first four matches. His presence should ensure a full house at his home ground.

Mr. Nanavati will now review their statements and is expected to submit his report to the BCCI President Mr. Sharad Pawar on Monday.

The BCCI will take the final decision on the punishment meted out to Harbhajan, but they will do so only after Mr.Nanavati submits his report to them.

While there is little doubt that Harbhajan Singh will be awarded some punishment, one will have to wait to see what consequences the off-spinner will face in terms of further bans or suspensions. It is learned that Harbhajan Singh was in conference with Mr. Nanavati for over an hour while Sreesanth’s session lasted for about half an hour.

Harbhajan has apologized for his actions and had previously asked the BCCI to give him ‘one final chance’. Harbhajan has already been banned for the rest of the IPL matches (11 or more, if Mumbai progresses beyond the league stage) by the BCCI for allegedly slapping Sreesanth after a match.

ICC’s acting Chief Executive Officer David Richards said: “We are indebted to the work Sunil has put into his role as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee.

“He has brought his vast experience of the game to bear, not only over the eight years of his chairmanship but also the six years prior to that, when he was a delegate on the same committee.

“Having someone of Sunil’s stature involved has to be of benefit to the game and given the ICC’s lengthy relationship with him we hope we can still utilize his knowledge in some other capacity in the future.”

Gavaskar, in an ICC statement released Thursday, said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role.

“However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee and my media commitments.

“As an example of that, I had to leave my professional commitments as a commentator on the Indian Premier League matches in order to come and chair this year’s meeting in Dubai.

“I envisaged the potential for this sort of issue two years ago and intimated then that I was not able to continue in the role but when I was asked to do so I was honoured to be re-elected.

“Now, however, it is clear I cannot combine both roles and therefore I am relinquishing the chair of the ICC Cricket Committee.”

The former India captain, the first player in history to top 10,000 Test runs and an ICC Cricket World Cup winner in 1983, arrived at his decision in the wake of a meeting of the ICC Board in March in Dubai.

At that meeting the Board discussed the potential for a conflict of interest for a person chairing the ICC Cricket Committee while, at the same time, working for a media outlet.

That fear was put to Gavaskar when he met ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed in Dubai later that same month.

No decision has yet been made on who will succeed Gavaskar.

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“I am not a quitter, especially when the chips are down,” Sharma said in a statement. “The company has every right to hire and fire personnel. For details of why I was summarily dismissed from my duties, three hours before I was to board a flight to Kolkata for the next match, please contact representatives of the company.”

Sharma, whose father died soon after the IPL started, said he’d taken the briefest of breaks at the time. Only the team owners can explain why he was sacked, he said, adding that he could “understand their disappointment at the team not being the fastest off the block”.

The choice of Brijesh Patel as CEO was largely motivated by the fact that he is an accomplished cricketer and understands local conditions with the depth that is required, Vijay Mallya, the franchise owner, said in a statement. He also squashed speculation over the future of Venkatesh Prasad, the coach of the side, and said he was fully supportive of his role in the side.

Bangalore, currently at the bottom of the IPL table with two wins from seven games, issued a press release on Tuesday night, which said Sharma “stepped down due to personal reasons” and had been replaced by Brijesh Patel, the former India Test player and secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which runs the game in the franchise’s home city.

Sources close to Sharma confirmed that he was asked to quit on Tuesday afternoon by a senior official from United Spirits Limited (USL), the liquor company that bought the team. USL is owned by Vijay Mallya, the Bangalore-based industrialist who also owns Force India, a Formula 1 team.

However, sources in the franchise told Cricinfo that the decision to sack the chief executive was the result of growing discontent at the highest level ever since Bangalore suffered a humiliating defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural IPL match in front of a record television audience and a capacity home crowd, including top ICC and BCCI officials, Bollywood actors and corporate leaders.

“Quite a few harsh words were used that night to describe the team’s performance. And ever since then, serious questions were being asked at the top level within the franchise about the team’s composition and performance. Things turned nasty as the team continued to lose and there was even talk about whether the players were under-performing, and making a laughing stock of the owner,” the sources said.

“In such a scenario, the franchise wanted to send a strong message that it was in control of the situation and the CEO was the obvious target. Sacking the players would have generated a wave of negative publicity, considering their iconic status,” the sources said.

Mallya bought the franchise from the IPL council with a bid of US$ 111.6 million and then faced a barrage of criticism after the players’ auction where Rahul Dravid took the lead in picking the squad – including South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and India’s Wasim Jaffer – that has since been tagged as a Test XI.

On Monday night, after the team’s fifth loss, Mallya is learnt to have been extremely upset and had a “very serious chat” with Sharma, before the franchise owner was “persuaded” to give the team “a small pep talk” during a party that followed the match against Kings XI Punjab.

“The team was assembled and were told by Mallya he was still backing them. But it was clear that a major decision was around the corner,” the sources said. Around 3 pm the next day, Sharma was asked to leave by the franchise.

On Wednesday morning, a senior player told Cricinfo that the team was rattled by the development, which he described as “a knee-jerk reaction” to the defeats with seven matches still left in the tournament. Bangalore take on Kolkata in the eighth of their 14 league matches, at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

“My role, as I saw it, was to constantly motivate, encourage, facilitate and respect the efforts of the cricket professionals in the team. And that is what I tried to do, sincerely, day after day – win or lose – in the true spirit of sportsmanship,” Sharma said.

© Cricinfo

If found guilty of the level 4 offense under the ICC’s code of conduct, Harbhajan could face a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum ban of 5 Tests or 10-ODIs.

Harbhajan has written another letter to the BCCI just two days before his scheduled meeting with Nanavati.

In his letter Harbhajan said that he publicly apologized to Sreesanth and was willing to do it again.

“Along with accepting my most sincere and heartfelt apologies over this incident, I would like to appeal to the Board’s sense of fairplay and ask for one final chance before taking any disciplinary action against me over this incident,” he said in the letter.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said Harbhajan has written a number of letters but it wouldn’t be proper to reveal the content.

“The inquiry is going on. We are waiting for the report,” Shah said.

A top source in the BCCI said that Harbhajan might not be spared this time because such an incident shouldn’t have taken place on a cricket field.

If Nanavati finds no evidence of provocation in the video, Harbhajan is likely to face more than the minimum ban for this kind of offense.

“I will have to talk to some more people like Yuvraj Singh, Lalchand Rajput (Mumbai coach) or the Mohali team manager to find out if there was any provocation,” he told PTI.

Sreesanth and Harbhajan will meet Nanavati in Ahmedabad this Friday before an official report is submitted to the BCCI disciplinary committe on Monday.