IPL 4 News : BCCI scraps Rajasthan Royals & Kings Punjab Eleven

In a major and unexpected decision, the Indian cricket board on Sunday scratched Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab for unspecified breaches and gave another chance to the beleaguered Kochi to put its house in order.

Both the Royals and Kings XI were close to former IPL chairman Lalit Modi and are believed to have paid the price for it. The BCCI’s decision leaves only eight teams in the fray for the fourth edition of the IPL, to be played in April-May, though there is now a question mark if the lucrative Twenty20 tournament would be held at all.

Modi, whose fight with the board’s ruling group is well known, was suspended by the BCCI for alleged financial irregularities in the IPL. The board launched an inquiry through its disciplinary panel. Modi has challenged it in the Supreme Court.

N Srinivasan, secretary of the BCCI, said in a statement that Sunday’s decision, based on legal advice and taken at an emergent IPL governing council ( GC) meeting held in Mumbai, was a unanimous one. “ It was unanimously decided that the franchise agreements with KPH Dream Cricket Pvt. Ltd. and Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd. be terminated forthwith based on the legal opinions obtained by BCCI in the matters,” he said.

Srinivasan also said that BCCI advocate PR Raman has been given instructions to issue notices to the three teams.

Kings XI was bought by a consortium including businessmen Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and actor Preity Zinta, for $ 76mn while the Royals cost $ 67mn to business tycoons Manoj Badale and Lachlan Murdoch, who later sold some stake to London- based businessman Raj Kundra and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty.

“ The decision to terminate the contract of Punjab and Rajasthan franchises were taken purely based on legal opinion we received and the breaches committed by these franchises,” Srinivasan told reporters after the board announced its unanimous decision. The two franchisees denied the allegations.

Kochi, opposed by Modi, was given a 10-day ultimatum by BCCI president Shashank Manohar on Sep 29 to form a joint venture company, was given another chance to do so.

Owners of the scratched teams reacted with anger. “ I don’t see IPL- IV happening if the BCCI treats other teams like this. The termination of the contract by BCCI is shocking. We are seriously thinking of legal action. We need to see a copy of the termination notice and study it,” Royals co-owner Kundra said.

Arvinder Singh, senior vicepresident (cricket operations) of Kings XI, said they haven’t received the notice so far. “ We haven’t got anything from BCCI. We will comment only when we get something in writing. Until then it’ll be premature to say anything,” he said . Modi, abroad for many months and facing the Enforcement Directorate’s light blue alert notice as he is required by the government agency for finance related questions, reacted aggressively. “ The action is totally illegal. They are hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of — the IPL. So as to satisfy their personal agendas,” he wrote on Twitter.

“ BCCI’s total disregard for franchisees and there stakeholders only goes to show that BCCI has lost the ability to administer sensibly... the action is totally illegal.” Experts said that Sunday’s BCCI decision, apparently under pressure from government agencies, is in continuance of their policy to completely wipe out Modi’s name. Modi came in the line of fire after he alleged that Shashi Tharoor, then a junior external affairs minister, had influenced Kochi to win one of the two franchise bids. “ Modi had rubbed the government the wrong way by claiming a minister’s berth. Do you think the government will let him go scot free for all this?” an official of another franchisee said.