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Key Points

The Bombay High Court has upheld the arbitration ruling against BCCI, ordering them to pay Rs 538 crore to Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The dispute dates back to 2011 when the franchise was terminated over payment defaults. BCCI had challenged the 2015 arbitration decision but lost in court. Kochi Tuskers played just one IPL season before the contract was scrapped.

Key Points: BCCI Loses Kochi Tuskers Case Must Pay Rs 538 Crore

  • BCCI ordered to pay Rs 538 crore to Kochi Tuskers owners
  • Court rejects BCCI’s challenge to 2015 arbitration ruling
  • Franchise terminated in 2011 over payment default
  • Kochi played only one IPL season in 2012
2 min read

BCCI asked to pay Rs 538 cr in IPL's Kochi franchise case

Bombay High Court upholds arbitration ruling, orders BCCI to pay Rs 538 crore to defunct IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

BCCI asked to pay Rs 538 cr in IPL's Kochi franchise case
"BCCI’s dissatisfaction as to the findings cannot be a ground to assail the Award – Bombay High Court"

Mumbai, June 18

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suffered a setback as the Bombay High Court has upheld the arbitral accord to pay Rs 538 crore to the defunct Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

The court has rejected BCCI's suit challenging the arbitral ruling in the long-standing IPL franchise controversy, which has been going on for over a decade. Despite multiple attempts, BCCI officials remained unavailable for comment on the matter.

The BCCI had terminated the Kochi franchise in 2011 after one season, accusing the team of a contract breach after failing to submit a bank guarantee on time, which was required under the agreement. The franchise was unable to make its payments to BCCI because of a falling out between the owners.

The matter went in for arbitration and in 2015, the BCCI was asked to pay Rs 538 crore -- 384 crore to KCPL and 153 crore to Rendezvous sport (owners of the Kochi franchise) -- to IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers after an arbitration ruled in favour of the team recently.

The BCCI was unhappy with the arbitral award and decided to challenge the tribunal's verdict in court.

On Wednesday, the court upheld the decision of the arbitrator.

"The jurisdiction of this Court under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act is very limited. BCCI's endeavour to delve into the merits of the dispute is in teeth of the scope of the grounds contained in Section 34 of the Act. BCCI's dissatisfaction as to the findings rendered in respect of the evidence and/or the merits cannot be a ground to assail the Award," the Bombay High Court said in its ruling.

The franchise which was bought for a whopping Rs 1,550 crore in 2010 defaulted on their annual payment after which the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) terminated their contract in 2011. The franchise won the case against the BCCI and the court ordered the board to pay Rs 550 crore.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala participated in one season of IPL in 2012 and finished eighth among 10 teams.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:
R
Rahul K.
Finally some justice after 10 years! BCCI has been acting like they're above the law for too long. If they terminated the contract unfairly, they must pay. Hope this sets a precedent for better governance in Indian cricket. 🏏
P
Priya M.
Rs 538 crore is a huge amount! Couldn't this money be better used for grassroots cricket development? Both BCCI and Kochi owners seem to have failed cricket fans. Such a shame.
S
Sanjay T.
As a Kochi native, I still remember the excitement when we got our own IPL team. The mismanagement broke our hearts. Hope at least now the affected parties get their due.
A
Ananya R.
The court is absolutely right - BCCI can't keep challenging every decision that goes against them. They need to accept arbitration results gracefully. This stubbornness is costing Indian cricket dearly.
V
Vikram J.
Both parties are at fault here. Franchise owners didn't honor commitments, BCCI was too quick to terminate. Now taxpayers' money (through BCCI revenue) will pay for this mess. When will we learn professional management?
N
Neha P.
Remember watching Kochi Tuskers play in 2012! They had such potential with players like Mahela. Sad how money disputes ruined what could have been Kerala's pride. Hope they consider returning to IPL someday! 🤞

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