Dubai: Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has spent years playing for cricket franchise owners. Now, he gets to find out what it's like to be one.
He has teamed up with Dubai-based investor and close friend Jeetu Kataria to buy Yas Lions, an Abu Dhabi T10 franchise. And unlike some celebrity investors who are happy to lend their names to a sporting venture, Uthappa intends to be involved in everything from picking players to building a dressing-room culture.
Interestingly, the whole venture began with a conversation between two friends.
“He said, ‘If you lead it, then I’ll do it,’” Uthappa recalled of Kataria's response when he floated the idea.
“I said, ‘Okay, I’ll lead it.’”
Six weeks into their ownership, Uthappa is juggling the roles of co-owner, administrator and batting coach. It's a considerable shift for someone accustomed to being judged by his performances on the pitch. Now, his decisions will affect an entire team.
And he's under no illusion that being a good cricketer automatically makes him a good franchise owner.
"You have to wear two different hats under these circumstances. One is you need to wear the hat of an administrator, but also you need to know when to don the hat of a cricketer because you played that and you know that part really well."
