Mumbai change room for better luck

The enormity of the stakes is unmistakable as is the slick and glitzy look. Abhijeet Kulkarni reports

The enormity of the stakes is unmistakable as is the slick and glitzy look.

HT Image

The Indian Premier League, replete with innovative techniques, on and off the field, aimed at wooing fans and sponsors alike, the immaculate presentation is a shining example of new India. But beneath the ostentation, there are strong under-currents, which are a throwback in time.

A case in point is the Mumbai Indians' (MI) move to invoke the gods through the time-tested method of puja. Despite scoring a mammoth 182 against the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, in their opening home game at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, the hosts went on to lose.

The start to IPL-4 had been a rollicking one with the team winning their two away games. But such has been the jolt of the loss that the team moved out of the designated 'home' team dressing room, which they occupied against Kochi, to the other dressing room. The move was preceded by 'puja' on Monday on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

While the Mumbai Indians were tight-lipped on the reasons behind the shift, sources confirmed to HT that the decision was taken on Monday after a priest's visit.