KKR gag on players' media interaction

Ahead of their keenly-awaited IPL clash with the Sourav Ganguly-led Pune Warriors India, the Kolkata Knight Riders management has placed a gag order on their players for interacting with the media.

"We have some rules and regulations that we are following," Knight Riders' Bangladeshi recruit Shakib Al Hasan said when contacted.

The team had signed with a PR firm to arrange players' interaction with media, but the agency now says they are helpless as the KKR management has stopped responding to their queries.

KKR owner, Shah Rukh Khan. Photo: AFP

"We had sent a list of media requests for players' interviews, but the management says that no player is available now or [they are] not getting time. I can't help. I am just waiting for the tournament to get over. I feel we have no role [to play] now," said an official of the PR firm.

Despite inviting sports journalists in a promotional party on Wednesday night, the KKR management did not allow them to interact with its players.

As a result, a section of the media boycotted the event as they were denied a possible opportunity to interact with Manoj Tiwary, Laxmipathy Balaji, Eoin Morgan, Brendon McCullum and Ryan ten Doeschate.

After a lot of persuasion by the PR agency, team director Joy Bhattacharya allowed Tiwary to interact, but that too for just two questions. Repeated attempts to take the matter to franchise's CEO Venky Mysore went in vain.

The excitement and interest for Saturday's clash is palpable, with city's cricket idol, Ganguly, in the visitors' camp.