BCCI TO SET UP STUDY PANEL
WILL ABIDE BY LODHA COMMISSION RULING, SAYS BOARD
MUMBAI: Forced into action following the hammer blow dealt by the Supreme Court-appointed panel, the Indian Premier League’s Governing Council members got together on Sunday to decide on the course of action following the two-year suspensions of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals owners.
In all probability, the IPL will have two new teams for the next edition of the tournament, in place of CSK and RR. That is the view which emerged from the GC meeting held here.
Even though some members batted in support of the two beleaguered outfits in the meeting which lasted more than an hour, from all indications it looks like a lost cause, at least for the next two seasons.
The BCCI statement after the meeting clearly stated that it will adhere to the SC panel’s verdict in totality. “BCCI respects the verdict of the Lodha Commission and will abide by their decisions, in toto. The members recognised that there is an urgent need to understand the impact of this decision and the wider ramifications for BCCI in detail, so as to uphold the paramountcy of the game in our country,” the statement said, borrowing a legal term used by Justice Lodha while explaining his panel’s order on July 14. STAYING AFLOAT The biggest challenge for CSK and RR is to save themselves from being terminated, and going by the proceedings in the meeting there are members gunning for it. According to Board sources, its former treasurer and a GC member, Ajay Shirke, in attendance via video conference, raised that topic, citing the clause of bringing disrepute to the league. He suggested completing the process of two new teams and then deciding the fate of CSK and RR.
There were voices against such an extreme step, including Ravi Shastri, also on video conference, and a senior Board office-bearer from the North. The argument against the The IPL Governing Council decided to implement the Justice RM Lodha panel’s order in full and set up a working group to plan the modalities. The group will be given six weeks to submit its recommendations. IPL chairman Rajeev extreme step is that somebody cannot be punished twice for the same offence and the Board should not take any step in haste.
IPL COO Sundar Raman is said to have expressed difficulty Shukla will constitute the working group and the Board will announce the names of the members on Monday. The recommendations of the group will be sent to the GC, which will deliberate and share its views with the BCCI working committee. in conducting a 10-team tournament in the 2018-19 season. The World Cup is scheduled for that year and hence the window for a longer 10-team tournament will be difficult, he said. Shirke reminded him that earlier he had himself conducted a 10-team tournament when Kochi and Pune teams were part of the IPL. The 2019 World Cup will be hosted by England and Wales, from May 30 to July 15. AUTONOMY FEARS BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur is known to have observed that action will have to be taken after the SC verdict while Sourav Ganguly seems to have played neutral, restricting his inputs to the need of having eight teams.
There will be no shortage of buyers. “The valuation may be comparatively down but there are many interested parties ready to bid for the IPL franchisee”, said a senior BCCI member.
The Board is under pressure and the judgement everyone is nervous about is the third one where the Lodha committee will focus on the functioning and structure of the Board. If the Board doesn’t take any measures, they are afraid the court’s hammer may come down on them harder and go on to curb their autonomy. Even putting them under the Right to Information Act will be a big blow.
The members of the working group will be announced on Monday and are likely to comprise IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, Thakur, GC members Shirke and Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Usha Nath Bannerjee, the Board’s legal counsel.