BCCI gives Kochi 30 days to sort out mess

The Kochi saga will continue for about a month more. But there is little indication that the team will survive.

The consortium was given a 30-day termination notice by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday. But this is a legal obligation, not faith that the disparate members of the team will actually cobble together a coalition.

“We know the positions taken by the two factions are polar opposites. As per our franchise agreement, we have given them a notice. The breach is theoretically remediable, but practically impossible,” said an IPL governing council (GC) member. There was debate on whether the BCCI can cut 10 days from the mandatory 30 days as they had given 10 days with the show cause notice. But in the end, the council members decided to go purely by the book.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar said: “The GC received replies from two parties, the Rendezvous group and the other co-owners, and the board felt that the dispute continues to exist.” He clarified that there is a difference between the breaches committed by Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, which were not remediable.

The decision has been welcomed by the Gaekwad faction. “The BCCI has given us enough time. I think our investment partners also appreciate this. I hope the issue to be sorted out soon,” Satyajit Gaekwad, CEO, Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, said.

But the investors did not share the feelings. They want Rendezvous’s share to come down from 25% to 10%. “We wish there was a decision today itself. We cannot take this further. If Rendezvous want to have a team, they must come forward and form a company as per the MoU submitted by us,” said an official close to the investors. Otherwise, he said, the investors might go to court.