BCCI Suffers Major Setback as Kochi Tuskers Kerala Win Rs. 538 Crores in IPL Termination Case

Bombay High Court ordered the BCCI to pay Rs. 538 crores to Kochi Tuskers Kerala, upholding an arbitration award in the defunct IPL side's favor.

BCCI Suffers Major Setback as Kochi Tuskers Kerala Win Rs. 538 Crores in IPL Termination Case

Kochi Tuskers Kerala (via MINT)

In a massive blow to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Bombay High Court upheld a Rs. 538 crore arbitral award in favor of defunct IPL franchise, Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The court ruled against the BCCI in the IPL franchise termination case, ordering it to pay the stipulated amount.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala was the one of the two franchises, introduced in IPL 2011. While Sahara India Group acquired Pune Warriors India, Kochi Tuskers Kerala was a joint venture of Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL) and Rendezvous Sports World (RSW). The team in its inaugural season led by Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene, finished eighth in the 2011 IPL standings.

However, owing to a dispute amongst the team’s owners, the franchise failed to pay the 10 percent bank guarantee of Rs. 153.34 crores in time, resulting in its contract being terminated. After just one season in the competition, KTK were no longer a part of it. In October 2011, the IPL Governing Council announced the expulsion of the Kochi franchise, citing a major breach of their participation agreement.

However, RSW and KCPL subsequently sued the BCCI over the contract termination. The team’s owners asserted that payment delays were caused by other problems, such as getting stadium permissions and internal clearances. KTK further contended that the BCCI continued to accept payments even after the payment deadline, leading them to question the board’s alleged bias against the franchise.

The dispute finally went into arbitration, and in 2015, a court-appointed arbitrator directed the BCCI to pay Rs. 558 crores as compensation to the franchise for wrongful termination of the agreement. Reports indicated that KTK owners had even offered to forgo the compensation if the BCCI would allow their team to rejoin the IPL. The BCCI challenged the direction, stating that the arbitrator overstepped its authority and made several errors.

However, Bombay High Court judge, Justice Riyaz I. Chagla, recently dismissed the BCCI’s arguments in a 107-page verdict, while upholding the arbitrator’s decision under Section 34 of the Court Arbitration Act. The court, moreover, ruled that the board’s dissatisfaction with the arbitrator’s decision lacked merit and was not enough to cancel the award. Consequently, the BCCI now has to pay Rs. 538 crores to the former franchise owners, Rs. 384 crores to KCPL and the remaining Rs. 153 crores to RSW. 

The ruling is a massive financial blow to the world’s richest cricket board. Although the court has given the BCCI six more weeks to appeal, it’s remains to be seem what the Kochi-based franchise will decide. If they insist on returning to the IPL, the upcoming season could expand to include 11 teams.

BCCI Faces Backlash Over India-Pakistan Clash at 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup 

Controversy has erupted, after the ICC announced the schedule for the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup, set to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Fans objected to the India-Pakistan group stage fixture, which will be played on October 5, 2025, at Colombo, citing recent geo-political tensions.

BCCI criticized for India-Pakistan match
Fans criticized the BCCI after the schedule for the 2025 Women’s World Cup was announced, which includes an India-Pakistan fixture. (via Indian Express)

The cricket teams of the two countries will face each other for the first time after Operation Sindoor, India’s response to the deadly Pahalgam terrorist attack. That operation briefly pushed the two nations to the brink of war before a ceasefire was agreed upon. Since then, fans have demanded India to boycott Pakistan, with rumors even circulating that the BCCI might ask the ICC to avoid matching the two nations in major cricketing events.

However, the BCCI is now facing criticism, with fans accusing the board of ‘double standards’ for allowing the India-Pakistan fixture in the 2025 Women’s World Cup. Fans have even labeled the board ‘shameless’ for seemingly ignoring the ongoing issues between the two nations.