Rajasthan Royals owner 'slapped' me during IPL 2011: Ross Taylor
Former New Zealand batter Ross Taylor, in his autobiography Black and White, highlighted a bizarre incident during IPL 2011 that left him perplexed. Taylor claimed that the then-owner of Rajasthan Royals (RR), the franchise Taylor played for, slapped him across the face after he registered a duck in one of the games. It all happened following RR's defeat to Kings XI Punjab in Mohali.
Here is what Taylor wrote
Taylor was dismissed lbw (0) while RR attempted to chase 195 against KXIP. "One of the Royals owners said to me, 'Ross, we didn't pay you a million dollars to get a duck,' and slapped me across the face three or four times. He was laughing and they weren't hard slaps but I'm not sure that it was entirely play-acting," wrote Taylor.
Taylor moved from RCB to RR in 2011
Taylor started his IPL journey with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2008. He featured for RR in 2011, his sole season with the Royals. In his book, Taylor highlighted his desire to stay at RCB. "While the IPL is pretty unsentimental, there is loyalty towards long-serving players and I probably would have had a longer IPL career as a one-franchise player," he added.
Taylor has over 1,000 runs in the IPL
Taylor played 12 games for RR in 2011. He racked up 181 runs for them at a strike rate of 119. The former New Zealand batter played in three more IPL seasons for Delhi Daredevils and Pune Warriors India. Overall, Taylor slammed 1,017 runs from 55 matches at an average of 25.43 in the cash-rich league. The tally includes three half-centuries.
RR yet to respond to Taylor's claims
The Royals are yet to respond to Taylor's claims. RR, who won the inaugural IPL season, was bought by Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd, a consortium of business entities, in 2008. In 2021, Badale became the owner of the Royals.
Taylor had alleged racism in New Zealand cricket
Earlier this year, Taylor, in his autobiography, has alleged that he and his other team-mates suffered racism in New Zealand cricket. Taylor, who has Samoan heritage on his mother's side, wrote that the game in New Zealand was "a pretty white sport". The 38-year-old retired from international cricket in April this year. Taylor stated that racism was considered "banter".
