The Bombay High Court has now ordered the Board of Control for Cricket in India to pay Rs 538 crore to Kochi Tuskers Kerala, a now-defunct IPL franchise. The payment is compensation for the wrongful termination of the team in 2011. The court ruled that the BCCI’s action lacked legal basis and violated the terms of the contract.
BCCI in trouble
Justice R.I. Chagla dismissed BCCI’s challenge to the arbitration, stating, “There is no patent illegality in the impugned awards which requires interference.”The Kochi franchise, owned by a consortium under Kochi Cricket Pvt. Ltd., had participated in only the 2011 IPL season. In 2015, arbitrators ruled in favour of the franchise, awarding damages after Board of Control for Cricket ended the agreement prematurely.
Board of Control for Cricket’s lawyer Rafiq Dada acknowledged the verdict was adverse and said the board has six weeks to consider an appeal. Kochi’s squad included stars like Mahela Jayawardene and Ravindra Jadeja.
