‘I’m counting on you to, Abhimanyu of Ranakpour,’ Ranjit Singh replied with a smile and held his hand out to his friend before parting ways.

Arrangements were made for the team to travel, with everything planned out to the last detail by the prince himself – flights, hotels, travel within England, training schedules, practice sessions, time off. Abhimanyu had even mapped out every single meal the team would be having, and where. Most of the players didn’t even have proper gear, so Abhimanyu paid for all of it from his own pocket. The trip was planned to perfection, and could have rivalled any international tour. And the players responded. They lost the first match, but won the next five on the trot. Midway through the tour, they tallied nine wins and two losses – a result no one had imagined in their wildest dreams. In more than half of those matches, the counties had national-level players on the teams – players who had travelled across the globe, beating the best teams, but fell flat when faced with the skill and guile of the rebel team. Unknown entities turned up in sleepy English towns and lit up the grounds.

By this time, the news had escaped these obscure grounds and travelled to the highest offices of the sport in England, India and elsewhere. A bunch of unknown players were beating established counties while the Indian national team was languishing. When the best county team of the decade, Surrey, decided to make changes to their schedule and invite the Indian team to play, Abhimanyu knew his plan was working. His tour was a taunt directed at the big boys, and Surrey had taken the bait. ‘It’s time,’ Abhimanyu told Ranjit Singh over the phone. ‘Book the next flight and make sure you are seen.’

‘INDIAN OPENER JOINS REBEL LEAGUE,’ screamed the headlines in newspapers across India, even before Ranjit Singh’s plane had taken off. The BCCI officials were caught like deer in the headlights. They quickly held a press conference and announced Ranjit Singh’s suspension for life – a decision that looked rather stupid when he played an anchor of an innings on the first day of the test with Surrey. The match was evenly balanced on the last day when hordes of people turned up to watch the match. Four national players, star performers for the England team, were playing for Surrey that day. The Indian team lost the match in the end but won over the fans, in England and back home.

‘Do you know what this means?’ Ranjit Singh asked Abhimanyu in the dressing room, where a modest after-party was being held.

‘I do, but I’m not so sure you do, Ranjit.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Money.’