To fill up the vacant slots, BCCI is planning to set up two new new franchises. “It can not happen that way”, he said when asked if the franchises were willing to accommodate a six-team IPL for the next two years.
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“It is for the BCCI to consider terminating the teams and the Supreme Court judgment is clear on that. We have also informed the franchises there is a possibility that the tournament might be increased to 10 teams from 2018”, a member, who attended the meeting, said. However, a section within the BCCI believes legal issues are bound to arise if CSK and RR are terminated.
BCCI then opted for legal recourse and consulted former Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia on CSK’s status.
“There won’t be value erosion”.
The board also believes the arbitrator in Kochi Tuskers verdict did not stick to the scope of the franchise agreement. “We may win, or we may lose but at least this lets the Super Kings know how much we love them and how sad we are to not be able to see the RAINAING sixes, the Helicopter shots, the Bravo dance, the flying FAF and the whole team on pitch for 2 years!”
IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla dropped a hint on similar grounds when he met a few Chennai Super Kings fans outside a five-star hotel in Bandra on Saturday. The fans presented a composed request to Shukla to spare Chennai Super Kings from end.
They also urged him to retain MS Dhoni as CSK captain.
BCCI’s five-member working group, through a series of meetings over the last week, reached a consensus over participation of eight franchises in the next edition of the IPL. Thakur and Shukla were, however, convinced that the BCCI as well as all concerned stakeholders were of the view of having eight IPL franchises for the 2016 season.
Wadia told reporters that “Perception of league should change and this is a massive opportunity for the turnaround. In fact, we strongly believe there’ll be value realization if two new teams are auctioned”, Kings XI Punjab co-owner Ness Wadia told TOI after meeting the working group of the Board. “At whatever valuation they come in, and I believe valuation will always be good and in this case more realistic, it’ll be a healthy way forward”, he said.
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“I would have showed signs of improvement returns had I put resources into shared trusts. Whether it is six teams, eight teams or 10 teams… whatever they decided, it is important to have some stability now”, said Wadia after the meeting.
