Embarrassed KKR and RR have a 'way out' from Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler's 'racist' tweets: BCCI official
A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official has explained how Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) can stave off embarrassment from Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler's recently-surfaced historical tweets.
Morgan, who was appointed KKR captain last year, and Buttler, RR's most seasoned batsman, have been accused of mocking Indians by tweeting in broken English and deliberately overusing the word 'sir.'
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has opened an investigation into the issue.
The BCCI official said that these four-year-old posts have put the two IPL franchises in a fix because they have made fun of the very market they play for in India.
"KKR and RR will be in a fix as these are players earning from Indian Premier League and as late as 2017 were making fun of how Indians speak English. Now you can be dismissive of these posts but this also speaks about what their general perception about Indians is. It's a tricky terrain but both KKR and Royals have a way out," the senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The BCCI official explained that an apology from Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler should 'suffice' for the moment.
The source also advised the franchises against IPL suspensions, saying that the ECB is already against sending players for the remainder of the 2021 season, and such steps will only amount to posturing.
"Firstly, if Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Badale are mindful of their respective franchises' image, a statement of apology from both Morgan and Buttler would suffice. Now with ECB not allowing them for second phase of IPL due to their own commitments, the suspension would count for very little. You are suspending players who are not coming for the second phase. It will be mere posturing."
Suspending Eoin Morgan won't be too inconvenient for KKR as the Englishman was already being criticized for his leadership.
RR, on the other hand, will be more worried because Jos Buttler got into his groove with a fantastic century just before the season was postponed mid-way.
KKR head coach and former player Brendon McCullum is also under the scanner for replying similarly to Morgan and Buttler to some of their tweets.
BCCI worried about more objectionable posts and videos coming out in the public domain
The BCCI is also wary of taking over-the-top action on these emerging tweets. They believe this could kick off a spree of new revelations, including old objectionable videos and other posts.
"...there could well be some YouTube videos of some players making sexist remarks or body shaming others which could now come out in public domain," the BCCI official said.
Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler's tweets came to light after the ECB opened its investigation into pacer Ollie Robinson's eight-year-old racist and sexist tweets.
He has been suspended from all international cricket while another unnamed player's old racist post is also being probed.