Former Bangalore Royal Challengers chief executive Charu Sharma insists he did not resign but was sacked by the franchise owner.

Sharma parted company with the Indian Premier League strugglers after their humiliating defeat at the hands of Kings XI Punjab earlier in the week - a fifth defeat in seven encounters, which saw them slip to the bottom of the table.

A terse press release by the franchise, owned by Vijay Mallya's United Breweries Group, stated Charu Sharma quit for personal reasons and added that Brijesh Patel would be the new chief executive.

But Sharma said: "I am not a quitter, especially when the chips are down.

"For details of why I was summarily dismissed from my duties, three hours before I was to board a flight to Kolkata for the next match, please contact the company's representatives.

"I can understand their disappointment at the team not being the fastest off the block.

"But, as I kept reiterating, there are many matches and many seasons to go - to get it right.

"Despite the sudden demise of my father at the start of the IPL, I chose to give all my time and attention to the welfare of the team, returning home for his last rites for the briefest period.

"My role was to constantly motivate and respect the efforts of the professionals in the team. And that is what I tried to do."

Meanwhile, the Challengers' owner indicated that the Brijesh Patel was brought in as chief executive because of his cricketing background.

"My choice of Brijesh was largely motivated by the fact that he is an accomplished cricketer from Karnataka," Mallya said.

"I want to clarify that I continue to have faith and confidence in all my players led by (captain Rahul) Dravid and in Martin Crowe, chief cricket officer, and his team."