Kochi Tuskers Kerala saga is not over yet

The last word on Kochi Tuskers Kerala is not yet out. Efforts are on to resurrect the controversial Indian Premier League (IPL) team. How much of those efforts will cut ice with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains to be seen.

The BCCI decision, for a change, has united the otherwise disparate members of the consortium. They are now talking in one voice. The immediate step will be to seek arbitration over the issue but the franchise owners are predictably crying foul.
“Would they have done this if it was a big franchise?” asked a distraught member of the consortium. The general opinion is that the board wants to reduce the league from 10 teams to eight and it is finding ways of doing that.

The owners contend that the board has encashed the BG (bank guarantee) worth Rs153 crore and at the same time cancelled the team.

“In one year, we have paid more money than any other franchise, barring Sahara, and yet we’ve been thrown out. In four years, Mumbai Indians may have paid just about Rs 200 crore. The board has taken away our money for the next year and yet they are not letting us play,” said the disappointed member.

“You can either cancel the team or cash in the bank guarantee. You can’t do both. We’ve a strong case.”

But they are not taking things lying down. External pressure is likely to be mounted on the BCCI officials to reinstate the team. A high-level delegation is likely to meet IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla (if it has not already met) to put across their points. It is not known who will be part of the delegation but one can be sure that Shashi Tharoor is unlikely to be part of it. The board’s position will be known at the next meeting of the governing council which will be held sometime next month.