I have faith in Dravid and co: Vijay Mallya

A ROYAL CHALLENGE FOR MALLYA: Mallya had earlier said he was unhappy with Dravid's selection of players.

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Keywords: Charu Sharma, Rahul Dravid

New Delhi: Bangalore Royal Challengers owner Vijay Mallya on Friday admitted there were issues regarding team composition and non-performance but asserted he had full confidence in the squad which was languishing at the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Mallya also said he did not regret buying an IPL franchise but claimed his comments on former CEO Charu Sharma's sacking were distorted to send the wrong signal.

"I have read all the reports in the media over few days with considerable dismay. Matters are not only being blown extravagantly out of proportion but my initial comments in response to Charu Sharma have been twisted and turned in a bizarre manner," Mallya, currently in Europe, said in a statement.

"The Royal Challengers is my team and I have full confidence in them. Admittedly, there are issues on team composition and non-performance but I hope that I can enjoy the legitimate privacy of sorting out issues within my own squad," the liquor baron said.

Earlier, Mallya had made it clear that he was far from happy with captain Rahul Dravid's selection of players, which made the side look like a Test team in Twenty20 jersey.

According to him, Rahul Dravid, and Charu Sharma too, went ahead with their own list of players, ignoring his inputs.

Mallya said there were issues indeed but oozed confidence that the Royal Challengers would put behind their disastrous performance in the inaugural IPL and come back strong in the subsequent editions of the tournament.

"I continue to believe that I made the right choice in acquiring an IPL franchisee which will create great value going forward. I like winning but losing round one doesn't mean that I have lost the fight.

"The Royal Challengers will emerge winners going forward," he added.

Mallya also said he did not regret buying an IPL franchise but claimed his comments on former CEO Charu Sharma's sacking were distorted to send the wrong signal.