Desicritics Author: Aaman Lamba

MTN Walks Out on Reliance Communications - Family Feud

Aaman Lamba — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:18:22 EDT

It is one of the strange vagaries of modern Indian business that some of the largest companies exhibit concentration of captial to an extent not dreamed of by even the robber barons of the 19th century. Even with publicly listed companies, the mostly rubber stamp board allows significant decisions to be taken by the CEO, who in many cases is accountable to pretty much no one. While the institutional investors might not object as long as their interests are protected, there is an insidious effect of long-term erosion of capital and confidence that goes beyond even what one might expect with neo-liberal economies. The bull run of the last few years has emboldened the corporate satraps to disregard even their erstwhile political cronies.

The acrimonious Reliance conglomerate break-up and continuing feud has been reported in the business pages much like a celebrity hatefest in the gossip columns. The growing potential for irreparable damage to a significant tranche of capital due to impulsive decisions derived more from personal animosity than business rivalry has been ignored, or overlooked in the heady period of a bull market.

Recent events might mean it is time for greater regulation of the fragmented conglomerate, if only to preserve Indian credibility in global markets. The Mukesh Ambani-founded Reliance Communications went to Anil Ambani under the terms of the breakup agreement, currently controlling close to 66.75% of the company's shares, The company is now the second-largest mobile carrier in India, The Ambani zest for growth had led Reliance Communications to bid for 67% of Hutch in 2007, before being pipped at the post by Vodafone. It went on to acquire global companies like Yipes to further increase its global scale.

Reliance Communications entered into 'exclusive' talks with the MTN Group after the South African company ended dialogue with India's No. 1 mobile provider, Bharti Airtel. The two companies would have a combined worth exceeding $70 billion and over 116 million subscribers, making it the sixth largest telecom company in the world. Various options were explored by RelCom and MTN, including a reverse buyback, and the exclusivity period extended.

Matters were complicated when Reliance Industries, headed by Mukesh Ambani, raised the possibility of invoking their 'right of first refusal' under the terms of the break-up agreement. Anil Ambani and Reliance Communications questioned the validity of this clause, and refused to engage with Reliance Industries on the matter. Matters reached a head Thursday when Reliance Industries initiated arbitration proceedings against RelCom.

The MTN Group and Reliance Communications announced today in identical statements that they were ending their talks and the exclusivity period, with the statement

“Owing to certain legal and regulatory issues, the parties are unable to conclude a transaction, Accordingly, it has been mutually decided to allow the exclusivity agreement to lapse.

The news was greeted by concern in both Indian and global circles. Future negotiations between Indian and foreign companies could be overshadowed by the risks that affected the MTN-RelCom talks, and this could affect the global standing of Indian companies.

All the same, everybody loves a winner, and it is not unrealistic to expect Anil Ambani to bounce back soon enough from this debacle. The global appeal of Indian markets and incumbent players may overcome the fears of litigation, and at best, a higher risk premium might be applied to future deals.

It is unlikely the government will intervene, letting the markets take their own course. A market dominated by a few large players with ever-increasing concentrations of wealth (and risk) is not quite a free market, though, and may require some fresh air or new rules to level the playing field.

Nuclear Deal - India Goes to the IAEA - "Midnight Deceit"?

Aaman Lamba — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:43:55 EDT

In what was seen as a surprise move, the Indian government submitted the Application of Safeguards to Civilian Nuclear Facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency, citing the need to have it reviewed prior to the meeting with the IAEA Board. The opposition parties cried foul, terming the move 'midnight deceit' and a betrayal of the commitments made by the UPA government to seek a trust vote before approaching the board.

The President of India has summoned the Prime Minister for a meeting, amid demands for a trust vote within the week.There were allegations of a 'deal within the deal' and of the Prime Minister treating this as his 'personal agreement.' On the other hand, the UPA praised the show of support by the G8 nations and termed this one of the best deals in the history of inter-governmental relations. They cited the safety clauses of India's right to take steps to maintain supplies to civilian nuclear reactors in the event of a nuclear test and a breakdown in international supplies.

At the G-8 meeting in Japan, the leaders stressed safe, peaceful nuclear development, while placing weak targets for emissions reductions on themselves. The climate goals were not seen as ineffective, and despite President Bush including China and India in the goals, there were divisions reported between the G-8 and the developing nations, with each wanting the other to move first.

In India, at least, the UPA Government took the initiative, breaking the stalemate, and losing no time in moving forward after the Left Front withdrew support. It remains to be seen if the current governments in either India or the United States have time to negotiate the agreements before they come to the testing grounds, as it were.

Movie Review: The Happening

Aaman Lamba — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:52:27 EDT

The Happening is a concept in search of a storyline. It might very well have been a Sci Fi Channel special, tucked away among Sabertooths Attack! and Mansquito on the same channel that gave us the M. Night Shyamalan con job (The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan) last time he had a movie coming out. This is tragic, because it succeeds in ways that would have been above average for a run of the mill B movie director, and yet is many notches below what we know M. Night is capable of.

All the same, the exegesis of the subprime crisis, post-9/11 revisionism, and a million ways to kill yourself combine to produce an intensely unsettling look at 21st century America. The director's reiteration of the unknowable nature of wonders is to be expected - the signs don't explain the happenings, as it were. It is this expectedness of the unexpected that is the problem with M. Night's recent films - it gives us a Brody-view of Kafka, rather than allowing us to experience the unknown for what it is. Dumbing down the material might be appropriate for the mainstream, but when popular culture is so much more challenging and complex, and so are the audiences - life imitating art, or vice versa - the creative artist must rise to the challenge and set ever greater imponderables in our path, not proffer the facile "there are forces at work beyond our understanding" thesis.

The shock value of the film plays on both usual disaster movie themes and classic American Paranoid styles. It becomes hard to distinguish between a neurological infection and fear of the stranger. Post the Green Revolution, it is not hard to imagine the plants might feel the same way, having had enough nitrogenous fertilizer for a decade.

The science teacher turned survivalist is beset by too many issues, rocky marriage notwithstanding. He doesn't get to go on a Resident Evil style rampage, the crisis peaking and tapering off. Life then inexplicably returns to normal, although the plant menace doesn't go away for good.

Neither will M. Night. Give him a year or so and he'll be back with another predictable tale of warnings ignored, dark events, and strange happenings.

Kashmir Protests - The Federation of the Indian State

Aaman Lamba — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:06:10 EDT

The Indian federal experiment has been highly successful, and one might believe that there is a fluid cohesion between the states and cultures that presages true unity, our oft-stated 'unity in diversity'. While this is indeed true in the sense of a melange of people who still retain their roots, post-Independence, there has been a wide oscillation between unitary and federal tendencies, ranging at times to outright secession and at the other extreme to authoritarian centralization.

In the Indira Gandhi era, most states were governed by puppet governments and the lack of strong economic zones meant political power was derived from the centre. Despite its obvious failings, the centralized model served to distribute development largesse across the subcontinent, with the usual lumpiness. As a result, the great industrial experiments undertaken by Nehru continued in their slow plodding pace. Insurrection and secession were seen as extremist tendencies, and the Punjab malaise or the Tamil/Dravida danger did not affect the general fabric of polity. Kashmir was always treated as a special case, and much like the monster chained in the basement, grew ever more dangerous, and its isolation bred neuroses and violence.

The nineties brought a measure of economic independence, a strengthening of local political identity, and the concurrent weakening of the central government. Coalition politics began to take hold, with its rent-seeking model of needing to satisfy multiple vested interests. Much like the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties are an agglomeration of special interests, local power-brokers, and ideologies, the Indian model has moved towards a few groupings of local and national parties, united by a patina of common interest.

Unfortunately, the nature of coalition politics has meant that the center has begun to fall apart and concede power to the edges, especially in regions where the alliance members or supporters hold sway. Gujarat during the NDA was not the first, and definitely not the last, instance of partisan politics being put ahead of the national interest.

The polarization of economic power has further accelerated power distribution away from the centre, the most recent and egregious example being the offer/challenge by Gujarat to stop payments/grants to and from the Centre, unconstitutional as it might be. The neo-liberal benefits experienced by the southern states have extended their allure to most of the country, with every government bending over backwards for corporations. They no longer even need to pay for the benefits they receive - the promise of near limitless jobs and investment are good enough for most governments, and the anti-capitalist protests are tolerated up to a point.

Emboldened regional interests are now able to push the limits ever further, knowing that the Centre will likely not stifle the protest or address the issue forcefully, for fear of going against coalition partners, stated social goals, or for fear of being seen as too authoritarian. This translates down to the states themselves. Entire cities can be shut down by protests and bandhs.We have the Gujjar protests and now the Kashmir reactions against land grants. The first warning of the PDP is to the Central government warning they would withdraw support to the UPA if their interests are not assuaged. The Centre takes the usual 'wait and watch' attitude, and the vacuum is filled by contra-interests, themselves none too interested in a national identity unless its their own.

India is not unique in dealing with these challenges. Vladimir Putin has acknowledged the distortion and flawed nature of the Confederation of Independent States. The brief stasis of Yugoslavia has reverted to the archetypal Balkanization that seems the natural state of the region. Iraq is a basket case, not entirely due to the American invasion.

Is this the fate of all large societies? Is there a way to resolve the inevitable centripetal forces in society without authoritarianism?

George Carlin, Comedian and Cynic, Passes Away

Aaman Lamba — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:39:48 EDT

George Carlin left an impression like few other comedians or media artists. One felt one was experiencing a darkly humorous perspective on life that made one all the richer, while leaving one with a sense of wanting to change things - to make the joke truly a joke and not wry commentary on the establishment. The nature of anti-establishmentarianism is to view the state of things as flawed. It goes beyond cynicism in wanting to destroy the defective system, seeing that as better than perpetuating it.

George Carlin came of age, in the media sense, as it were, in the 1960s and 1970s, the time of Johnson and Nixon. The anger and frustration of the anti-war movement easily translated to a general distrust of the overall establishment, and Carlin was able to parlay that into numerous comedy routines, though not overtly anti-society in the early years. He was a regular celebrity in the sixties, a role he later repudiated, calling it 'living a lie'.

He built his onstage persona post 1970 around a framework of misanthropy and mockery, using social criticism and language to good effect. He saw himself as 'here for the show' and designed to entertain as he mocked what he saw as the continuing degradation of American culture. He became known asthe "the comic voice of the counterculture", going on to influence two generatins of stand up comedians. He was arrested for his "Seven Dirty Words" routine in 1972 at Milwaukee's Summerfest and charged with obscenity. He went on to be the first host of Saturday Night Live in 1975, but went off the air, as it were, taking a five year break, although airing the first few of his HBO specials in the period.

He provided voice-overs for children's series like Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, and acted in films ranging from The Prince of Tides to Dogma, besides providing the voice for Fillmore, the psychedelic Volkswagen bus in Pixar's Cars.

He had a history of heart problems, and drug and alcohol abuse, for which he entered drug rehabilitation. He died of heart failure at the age of 71 in Santa Monica, California.

Rajasthan Royals Win IPL Twenty20 Championship Off Final Ball

Aaman Lamba — Sun, 1 Jun 2008 14:39:06 EDT

A month and a half of cricket-watching ended with some pretty good cricket as the Rajasthan Royals lifted the inaugural Indian Premier League Twenty20 Cup and $1.2 million in prize money. Chennai were the putative underdogs, given the fabulous winning streak of the Royals. The team had belied their original promise, and much like the Little Engine That Could, pushed their way to the final, ably driven by Shane Warne, who will doubtless be noted in the annals of Rajput history, along with some friends from across the border. The victory was due a razor finish, avoiding a bowl-out from the final ball.

The Rajasthan Royals won the toss and chose to bowl. The innings started a little late due to the pre-game entertainment, ranging from the Cirque du Soleil to Salman Khan. Each team got some airtime in the form of Bollywood-themed performances. Cricket luminaries like Sharad Pawar and David Morgan hailed the IPL format and Lalit Modi proclaimed their 'hopes fulfilled'.

Once the game started, the Chennai Super Kings got off to a good start on a typically slow scoring wicket. They were 39 off 5 overs, when Ravindra Jadeja caught Vidyut in the first of his spectacular catches of the innings. The batting stayed strong until Raina's wicket fell. Morkel was caught earlier in an unfortunate kerfuffle in which Akmal and Kaif collided badly. The run rate dropped in the slog overs, to the cost of the Super Kings, and were it not for the final efforts by Dhoni, they might have ended with a lower score than they did.

The Rajasthan Royals innings started well enough, but Niraj Patel fell in the fourth over, and the run rate stayed below the required mark for the first six overs or so. They lost two more wickets in the next couple of overs, the most silly that of Kamran Akmal who didn't seem to have a clue and just kept running back to the dugout. There was a bit of humor when a ball bounced off Yusuf Pathan's helmet and they took a run as it was caught behind. Despite the appeal, the wicket was not given, and a leg bye not signalled at the time, though registered soon afterward. Yusuf Pathan helped push up the run rate with some forceful shots, gaining 14 runs off the 10th over. His luck continued as a crucial catch was dropped by Raina off Muralitharan's first over.

Despite the run rate not quite rising, the game seemed destined to go down to the wire even after Pathan stepped up the pace in the 12th over with a couple of back to back sixes. Muralitharan broke the Shane Watson-Pathan partnership in the 14th over, giving some hope to Chennai. Pathan became a bit more cautious after this, but not for long. Mohammed Kaif and Ravindra Jadeja went for consecutive dismissals, and despite another stroke of luck in a missed run out, Yusuf Pathan was run out in the 17th over for 56. Sohail Tanvir and Shane Warne dribbled singles off each ball, and needed 8 off the final over in a midnight finish. The scores were level off the final ball, and Rajasthan took a boundary.

The victory was an exciting moment. The teams were visibly tensed, and it was an emotional scene. It was also time to bid adieu to some of the most sustained television watching one has done for a while, and the many events and characters that populated the mediascape. From a little child's best friend to the never-say-die Sanju, the mind-numbing repetition of advertisements ensured the audience will recall the spots and characters, if not the messages or brands. One of my favorites was the inspiring 'The World Never Sleeps...Citi Never Sleeps' one.

The non-playing action has been as intense as that on the field. We've had fulminations against the cheerleaders, the Indian Premier Legs, as it were, and opinions about the changing order of world cricket. We've had tragedy in the form of the Jaipur bomb blasts, and on the other hand, shared sub-continental pride in Pakistani players that gives one much hope. Slapgate is better glossed over in the annals of history, although one expects it may still have repercussions in the main Indian team.

Next year will be another time. The teams will look to make changes and treat the first season as a learning experience, where they had to improvise as they went along. There will be greater focus on consistency and teamwork. Significant changes are likely, from team composition to playing styles. The value o the international players has been proven, although local players have done more than one might have expected too. The IPL management might shake things up, the better to improve and sustain TRPs. The owners will look for ways to improve the revenue productivity, as it were. A few icons will possibly be replaced or retire. Challengers to the IPL might arise, from the EPL to a revamped ICL.

It is equally likely we will see changes in the international team, with some old hands making way for younger players who have shown promise. The BCCI could look at offering Shane Warne a contract.

Coordinated Bomb Blasts in Jaipur, India

Aaman Lamba — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:12:02 EDT

At least seven bombs went off in close succession in Jaipur, India, the capital of Rajasthan. The blasts occurred in the most crowded areas of the old city, ranging from the Hanuman temple area to markets in the old walled city.

At least 60 people have been reported dead, although the death toll may rise as information emerges. Close to 100 people are reported injured, and phone networks in the region are jammed. The blasts occurred at Tripolia Bazar, Johari Bazar, Manas Chowk, Badi Choupal and Choti Choupal in Jaipur. This would be in a radius of less than a kilometer. The bomb disposal squad has reportedly recovered at least one live bomb, and another may have gone off in a police station. Early indications are that bicycle bombs were used, and were low intensity blasts, but with iron splinters and the extremely congested areas mean the impact would be high.

The Indian Premier League cricket series is underway, and there was a match in Jaipur yesterday. Lalit Modi, the Chairman of the IPL, reiterated that security precautions would be expanded, and the games would go ahead as scheduled. The next match in Jaipur is on Saturday. Bangalore has offered to host the Saturday game, showing that cricket is still a gentleman's game.

The injured are mainly at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. The Hospital numbers are: 0141-2560291; 0141-2619827 The Police contact numbers for Jaipur are below. (Country Code: 91, STD Code: 0141)

Police Station	Tel No.	Police Station	Tel No.

Ashok Nagar	381540	CID CB	618573
Bagruwalon Ka Rasta	322919	CID (Ramgani)	560978
Bajaj Nagar	510971	Chandpole	312308
Bani Park	202095	Civil Lines (OP)	223097
Bas Badanpura	630752	Control Room (Jaipur City)	565555
Bhana Basti	300875	Crime Police Help Line	1090
Brahmapuri (O P)	671305	Control Room(Traffic)	565630
Brahmapuri	672315	Galta Gate	641067
Ghat Gate (O P)	612589	Gandhi Nagar	515727
Harmada	330744	Malviya Nagar	520642
Jagatpura (O P)	750508	ManakChowk	601366
Jhotwara	341555	SMS Hospital (O P)	563036
Kishanpole (Ajmeri Gate)	318159	Sataner Sadar (Pratap Nagar)	582020
Mahila Thana (Gandhi Nagar)	510232	Shastri Nagar	304135
Mansarovar	392224	Subhash Chowk	635840
Moti Doongari Road	613663	Sindhi Camp	206201
Police Lines (Rural)	671917	Sanganeri Gate (OP)	571275
Ram Ganj	613676	Amer	530295
Sanganer	721677	Adarsh Nagar	615238
Sanjay Circle (CP Gate)	362174	Lal Kothi	615108
Shyam Nagar	393193	Vaishali Nagar	352088
Sodala	213166	Vidyadhar Nagar	336400
VKI Area	330507	Vidhayak Nagar	741844
Vidhayakpuri	369756	Transport Nagar	618574

2s is twittering about the blasts - he happened to be in Jaipur and a blast occurred less than 20 feet from him. He and his family are fine. No trains have been cancelled as yet in Jaipur.

The SAJA Blog collates updates on the Jaipur blasts

Movie Review: Iron Man

Aaman Lamba — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:13:52 EDT

What if Goliath turned against the Philistines? David wouldn't be really needed, save as a spark, or a mirror to show the seeds of destruction sowed by the makers of sickles and swords. The walls of Jericho might come down, and the horror of crumbling bricks be revealed in small villages off Haditha or perhaps Gulmira, Afghanistan.

Iron Man carries dangerous memes with it, perhaps the kind that increase the knowing to a point where it breaks out of the pages of comic books. Then again, the knowledge has always been there, and shadows on curtains provided simulacra of reality, audiences have taken it in, had glimmers of awareness, then let it drift away, or buried it under unending torrents of media messages.

Tony Stark finally understands what he has probably already known - and breaks away from his carefully cultivated playboy image. It is a mission of self-redemption, by a knight in shining armor, quite literally. He is looking to make up for a lifetime, indeed a familial sense of guilt, and yet, his actions are explained away as 'accidents' or 'training exercises', yet again enabling media masseurs to manage reality. His attempt at balancing the scales between the asymmetrical counter-parties might be in vain, and the film avoids any examination of ultimate responsibility. The villains are stereotypical bad guys, and the centurions not expected to reason the whys and wherefores of their actions.

The best parts of the film are the intensely detailed engineering scenes, a kind of geekporn-meets-steampunk mashup. Post-modern user interfaces, including one that looks like what Microsoft Surface might turn out to be, and intricate CGI stunts blend, but don't quite flow together well. The CGI could have been better, especially in the flying scenes. The reactor is a bit fishy, especially in a climatic scene where the prototype explodes at the cost of one faux-Iron Man, yet spares the real steel.

Robert Downey, Jr., gives the role his all, yet comes across as Terminator on a Robocop mission, cloaked in a XOS exoskeleton. This is more interesting, given we know of his own failings at the all-too-human level. His transformation from smooth-talking playboy to metalmouth is compelling, and the shift in acting style quite evident. He does not turn misanthropic, or even pacifist, going for the counter-terrorist angle. The lightweight Jon Favreau could have done more with his source material, yet went for a gently muddled anti-war, pro-little guy tale, a safe bet when dealing with masters of destruction. He does go further in the quest of authenticity, than say, Spider-Man, with quite graphic scenes of torture. There are various layers to the film, despite its weaknesses, and it is most definitely enjoyable and promising, from a franchise perspective.

Delhi Daredevils Break Chennai Super Kings

Aaman Lamba — Fri, 2 May 2008 13:48:40 EDT

After 5 turns in the round-robin league of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 series, the rankings are quite interesting and might even have had an unbeaten streak for the Chennai Super Kings, had it not been for the Delhi Daredevils disciplined bowling and batting today at Chennai.

The game was foreshadowed somewhat by the departure of Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, and Jacob Oram to prepare for an Australia-New Zealand series. Perhaps for this reason, but as much due the efficient Delhi bowling, Chennai were limited to 169, not a good enough score in Twenty20 any more. Stephen Fleming saw his first inning in the IPL, a rather good one, but losing his wicket in the fourth over. Vidyut's own maiden inning was better, and partnerships between Vidyut and Dhoni, and then Morkel pushed the score up, but they seemed to lose steam in the middle overs.e

The Delhi batting was more focused, and high scoring. Right from the start, Gautam Gambhir and Virendra Sehwag kept up the pace, and pushed the score past 100 in just under 9 overs. Sehwag hit quite a few sixes and fours, until he was caught in the twelfth over. Gambhir went in the 14th over, and the run rate slowed somewhat as de Villiers and Shikhar Dhawan wrapped up the total in the last ball of the final over, winning by 8 wickets.

The points table has a bit of an upset after this game, and the remaining games before the knock-out stage should be interesting as the top teams battle for their positions with the struggling middle order teams. The bottom-ranked teams like Bangalore and Mumbai have little hope of surviving this stage, but stranger upsets have occurred in cricket.

Team	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR
Delhi	5	4	1	0	0	8	1.263
Chennai	5	4	1	0	0	8	0.743
Rajasthan	5	4	1	0	0	8	0.525
Punjab	5	3	2	0	0	6	0.372
Kolkata	5	2	3	0	0	4	0.681
Deccan	5	1	4	0	0	2	-0.214
Mumbai	5	1	4	0	0	2	-1.396
Bangalore	5	1	4	0	0	2	-1.886

Off-field, both Shane Warne and Saurav Ganguly were fined for their sportsmanship, or the perceived lack of it. Also, Harbhajan Singh has apparently disappeared from IPL and Mumbai Indians hoardings.

IPL's First Victim: Harbhajan Singh Banned For 11 Matches

Aaman Lamba — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:06:35 EDT

Harbhajan Singh was handed down a ban of 11 games following the IPL-managed hearing in New Delhi. The bowler was found to have acted without provocation and did not intend to appeal the decision. The Mumbai Indians' coach, Lalchand Rajput, was also fined for not taking any steps on the spot despite being right behind the two when the incident happened.Sreesanth was given a warning, despite there not having been any immediate provocation.

"The referee studied video tapes of the incident and found the assault by Harbhajan was totally unprovoked. The footage exactly showed that Harbhajan went down the line, wishing all the players, shaking hands with a few players," said Lalit Modi, the commissioner of the IPL who is also a vice-president of the BCCI. "Sreesanth was the third player that he met. Instead of shaking his hand he actually slapped him and continued down the line, shaking hands with the other players."

It is strange that the Mumbai Indians' team management and owners have not be penalized in the tournament, as the player was in effect the team captain. The management's attempt to disown responsibility with the 'contracted' player excuse is a weak measure, and in any corporate setting would not have been tolerated. Players on any team should be concerned about the arms-length nature of their relationship with their owners, which implies that while they would be only to glad to take credit for the successes, yet might not take responsibility for any actions contrary to their interests, even if on the field.

This, in effect, weakens the viability of the IPL as an independent collective of organizations. While controversy creates cash, the IPL should dock the team and its management, and perhaps the Xings XI Punjab management might be allowed to seek civil damages. The only way the Mumbai Indians could be seen to do the right thing would be to penalize the player in their own way, perhaps monetarily, although there is a significant financial impact from the ban. As it stands, the Mumbai Indians is the most expensive franchise on the IPL roster, and this almost certainly makes them a poor horse to bet on, if one were allowed to mix metaphors.

Harbhajan Singh also faces independent disciplinary action from the BCCI, and a permanent blot on his cricketing record, which was not free of controversy in the first place.

In other non-cricket related news, Tamil actress Nayantara was dropped as brand ambassador of the Chennai Super Kings ahead of today's game in Bangalore against the Bangalore Royal Challengers. She failed to show up for a game in Chennai, and despite reports of health issues, the team management was in no mood to see its brand investments go waste and has dropped her from the list, and decided to go with only Vijay, another Tamil star, as the brand ambassador for the team.