The Bombay High Court has given a big verdict in favor of Kochi Tuskers Kerala, franchise out of the IPL. The court has ordered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pay Rs 538 crore to this closed team now. The court has pronounced this decision on the basis of the mediation verdict in 2015, in which the team was blamed on the BCCI improperly excluding.
What was the whole matter?
The Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise was purchased in 2010 at a huge price of Rs 1,550 crore. The team joined the 2011 IPL season, but the BCCI ended the contract only after a season. The board had accused the franchise that it failed to submit a bank guarantee on time, which was an important part of the contract.
The dispute then went into the process of court and arbitration, where in 2015 the arbitration Tribunal ruled in favor of the Kochi franchise and directed to pay Rs 550 crore to the BCCI. However, the BCCI challenged the decision in the court, which is now rejected.
BCCI got a shock, what did the court say?
The court clearly stated in its judgment that, “The court has a limited role under Article 34. The way BCCI wants to review the evidence and conclusions in the case is against the spirit of law.” The court also added that the arbitration decision can be challenged only on some limited legal grounds and the BCCI’s argument does not come under this purview.
Kochi Tuskers’ IPL journey
Kochi Tuskers Kerala played a total of 14 matches in IPL 2011, with 6 wins. The team finished eighth out of 10 teams. The team consisted of big players like Mahela Jayawardene, Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge and Ravindra Jadeja.
