Sandalwood clash on the cricket field

Sandalwood fans in Hubli were stoked when the city was chosen as the venue for the Dr Raj Cup, a T20 tournament that saw eight teams comprising actors and filmmakers take on each other for three days over the weekend.
The tournament — which ended on Tuesday with a match between the Kichha XI captained by Sudeep and the Producers XI led by Shivarajkumar — proved to be quite a showdown in more ways than one.
According to eye-witnesses, it all started when the Kichha XI opened their bowling with Pradeep, a small-time actor. The Producers XI, which included seven professional cricketers, felt that Pradeep was not bowling, but throwing the ball and they brought this to Shivanna’s notice. Sudeep then took over the bowling, but kept getting hit for fours. Shivanna’s supporters in the stadium team jeered at Sudeep and he went back to the pavilion.
“The actual fight broke out when Sudeep, who was approaching the pavilion, voiced his displeasure over the fact that professional cricketers were taking part in what was meant to be a celebrity tournament. He became aggressive on the field, which did not go down well with the Producers XI. Then some members from Shivarajkumar’s team started manhandling Sudeep, which caused quite a bit of tension at the stadium. Later, Sudeep’s fans came to the rescue to avoid further clashes,” said a source who was present at the stadium.
The match was resumed and Shivarajkumar’s team won the cup. Sudeep, who is currently in Hyderabad, told us, “I wanted to respect the crowd and the Dr Raj Cup. That’s why I continued with the match. I also want to clarify that Shivarajkumar was in no way involved in the episode. The supporters who were with one of the producers charged at me. Anyone else would have just left, but I have a good relationship with Shivanna and I did not want him to feel bad. So I finished what I came there for.”
Sudeep adds that this incident will not impact his relationship with the Rajkumar family. “I’ll direct a film for Shivarajkumar soon. It was me who was keen to do a film with him. Such incidents will definitely not affect our relationship, personally or professionally,” says the actor.
Contributed by Mahesh H