Agnostic_Indian
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NEW DELHI : Indian Premier League side Kochi attracted fresh controversy on Thursday for adopting the name ' Indi Commandos ' ahead of their debut appearance in the money - spinning , scandal-plagued tournament . The team , based in the southern state of Kerala, departed from the tradition of using their respective states or cities as part of their names , such as Mumbai Indians , Kolkata Knight Riders or Rajasthan Royals . But the Kochi franchise , which almost got thrown out of the IPL over its disputed shareholding pattern , justified the name . " Indi stands for an independent Indian cricket team that will go ahead to win a billion hearts . Commandos stands for an elite fighting squad, renowned for attacking with speed, stealth and deadly power," said a statement . But the explanation did not cut ice with Kochi fans once the franchise uploaded the name on its official Facebook page. " Is this an indicator of a lack of identity or is it simply that the franchise owners ' loyalties lie outside the state and the city for which the team was bought in the first place ?" posted an irate fan . " Thumbs down for this .. omg ..!! after all these months.. this is wht u came up with . . shocking ," said another . Fans also aired their dismay on Twitter . One slammed the side as " IndiComman' Doomed " while another reminded Kochi that " going commando is the practice of not wearing underwear under one ' s outer clothing" . The franchise is likely to attract more criticism after a report said their owners had written to the IPL governing council , seeking a switch to Ahmedabad as their permanent base. " We would request you to consider giving our franchise Ahmedabad as a permanent venue ," the DNA newspaper said quoting from the letter . " There is no entertainment tax and secondly , the state association has better infrastructure facilities." Under the IPL schedule , Kochi will host three Indi Commandos matches while Indore will host one game . The tournament is set to begin barely five days after the World Cup , on April 8 . articlem.timesofindia.com/news/Kochi-fans-ridicule-Commandos-IPL-tag/articleshow/7514419.cms