The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suffered a legal setback after the Bombay High Court upheld an arbitration award directing the board to pay ₹538 crore to the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.
Court Dismisses BCCI Challenge
In a significant ruling delivered on Wednesday, the court dismissed BCCI’s plea contesting the arbitral decision issued in 2015.
The court stated that its powers under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act were limited and did not permit revisiting the merits of the case.
“BCCI’s dissatisfaction with the arbitrator’s findings on evidence and merit cannot form grounds to challenge the award,” the court noted.
Despite repeated efforts, BCCI officials remained unavailable for comment.
Background: Contract Termination and Arbitration
The Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise, bought for ₹1,550 crore in 2010, played only one season in the IPL (2011).
The BCCI terminated the team’s contract the same year, citing failure to submit a required bank guarantee a breach of contractual terms.
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The breakdown reportedly stemmed from a dispute among the franchise’s co-owners, which prevented timely payment.
Following the termination, the matter moved to arbitration.
In 2015, the arbitrator ruled in favour of the Kochi franchise, ordering BCCI to pay a total of ₹538 crore ₹384 crore to Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL) and ₹153 crore to Rendezvous Sports World, one of the principal stakeholders.
BCCI’s Legal Appeal Rejected
The BCCI challenged the award in court, expressing dissatisfaction with the arbitral findings.
However, the Bombay High Court reiterated that its role was not to re-examine the case in full but to assess whether the arbitration process had followed legal procedures.
The ruling now compels the cricket board to comply with the payment, reviving a controversy that has spanned well over a decade.
Short-Lived Stint in the IPL
Kochi Tuskers Kerala played their only IPL season in 2011, finishing eighth out of ten teams.
Despite a brief existence, the franchise’s legal battle has had long-lasting implications for the governance of IPL contracts and arbitration enforcement in Indian sport.
The case marks a rare instance where a high-profile cricket body like the BCCI has faced judicial rebuke, setting a precedent for how contractual disputes in professional sport are handled under Indian law.
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