The top brass of the Indian cricket board on Tuesday got into a huddle after the Justice RM lodha committee banned CSK and RR for two years from the IPl.
The IPl Governing Council members will be meeting in Mumbai on July 19 to discuss the implications and the road ahead after the verdict by the lodha committee.
“An emergent meeting is on the cards where the members will be apprised of the situation and the road ahead will be only chalked out after our legal team goes through entire contents of the copy of the verdict. We have heard that it would happen in Mumbai on July 19,” a senior BCCI functionary and IPl Governing Council member said.
The three primary points that have emerged from the discussions between the senior functionaries are that of whether new companies will be allowed to bid for two vacant slots, whether all players or only the CSK and RR players will be going into auctions and also the case of the de-merger of the CSK from its parent company India Cements limited.
“Now current owners of CSK and Royals may be in a mood to sell their franchises to new owners but there are a few problems. The moment CSK or RR is sold off in its current state to a new owner, the existing legal liabilities will then be burden of the new owner. Plus both franchises have lost goodwill. In this existing scenario can they be sold off or new buyers will be interestedIJ” another GC member questioned.
The last crucial point is the case of new bids being invited by the BCCI to again make it an eight-team league but the case of Players’ Auction is then closely related to the issue. “There are two options related to this matter. The BCCI invites tender for fresh bidding of two new IPl franchises. A mini-auction is held and the two new franchises are allowed to pick from the existing pool of players.”
“But then the new owners might oppose the idea of getting to select players from a restricted pool.”