20 sports teams with the weirdest names

Siddharth Mallya of RCB holds a flag during an Indian Premier League match.

Cricket

When liquor baron Dr. Vijay Mallya bought the Bangalore based franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), little did people know that he would use it as an opportunity to market his various brands. With other team names like Kings XI, Royals and er, Super Kings, it came as a surprise when the team from Bangalore was christened the Royal Challengers Bangalore. There was a lot of outrage when a cricket team was named after an Indian whiskey brand but the name stuck. Quite simply, it was a lame attempt to advertise a brand and a habit that even the team’s players surely did not support. But fans have slowly got over it and now use the initials ‘RCB’ when talking about the team.

Staying with the IPL, we turn our attention to the Mumbai Indians. Seriously, what gives? Here we have a professional T20 cricket team which is one of nine in the Indian Premier League and they call themselves the Indians? And it’s not like the franchise is represented only by Indian cricketers. There are a number of foreign players in their ranks and coaching staff. When it comes to team names, this is probably the least relevant.

There was no way that the Sunrisers Hyderabad could escape this list. They are a team that replaced the Deccan Chargers and are so named because the franchise is owned by the chairman of the Sun TV network. But what on earth does the word ‘Sunriser’ mean? Their logo has a red phoenix (rising from the ashes of the Deccan Chargers?). Except for a team that plays all its matches either at sunset or under lights, ‘Sunrisers’ is definitely an odd choice.

Uva Next from the Sri Lankan Premier League also makes it to the list. A team from the Uva province of the island nation, it was also known as the Uva Unicorns (were they targeting a very young audience?). Why the team was called ‘Next’ is anybody’s guess. Maybe looking to the future? They did win the Sri Lanka Premier League title in 2012. But I can already imagine the post match analysis with a commentator saying, “Up next for Uva Next is Wayamba United and they will play next Thursday or the next day depending on weather conditions (it is Sri Lankan weather after all).”

Zimbabwe has a first class cricket team called the Southern Rocks. Really now? Is that a team name or a general statement? You know, like “cricket rocks!” The Southern Rocks didn’t exactly rock the competition and they’re still looking for their first win. Basically, stuck between a rock and a hard place, so to speak.