The Wait of History

GH on the end of the curse

A few years ago in Bengaluru, I sat down with a couple of young journalists contemplating a book about their local Indian Premier League franchise. They were extremely well-informed. Their recollections were encyclopedic. And, of course, their theme was one of failure - the constant fallings short of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who in all the competition’s years had done no better than runners-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016. As we discussed it, in fact, it was easy to get caught up in the compelling cycle of hope and disappointment. There is something about a seeming curse in sport, whether it is of the Bambino, the Billy Goat or even Sports Illustrated, that gets under the skin and into the skull of everyone who has followed a team.