Team Jaipur forgets Pink City after win

JAIPUR: Saying goodbye is never easy. However, all good things come to an end and it is indeed time to say goodbye to Team Jaipur. Shane Warne and his band of merry men came here and conquered hearts. Not just in Jaipur, but in entire India.

However, it was in Jaipur that they left the most telling mark. In fact, Team Jaipur changed the face of Jaipur and rocketed this city of Royals to the forefront of cricketing geography. All of a sudden, Sawai Man Singh Stadium was the centre of all attention. Here was a team that was winning everything at home and doing so with great character.

Every Jaipurite felt a sense of pride and embraced these ‘outsiders' as their own. Even after the city lay crippled following deadly serial blasts, cricket brought the people together. Even if the turnout was less than normal for the match against Bangalore Royal Challengers, which happened within a few days of the blasts, the fans were back in full numbers against Mumbai Indians on May 26.

But one thing that will certainly disappoint cricket fans here. Why didn't Warne and his boys come back here for the victory celebrations? "If you look at a big event like the English Premier League, when the winners come home, there are big celebrations on the streets and in the home ground. But we are surprised that the franchisee didn't take any initiative to do so," a top BCCI official told TOI. The Jaipur franchisee, however, maintained that they had such plans but the players were in a hurry to get back home.

But the question remains: if such a celebration does not happen, how can the franchisee expect to generate local or city based loyalities?

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/File_Team_Jaipur_forgets_Pink_City_after_win/articleshow/3094769.cms