The Bombay High Court has upheld an arbitration ruling, directing the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to pay ₹538 crore to the now-defunct IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The team was terminated by the BCCI in 2011 after playing just one season. The BCCI had accused Kochi Tuskers of breaching their contract by failing to submit a required bank guarantee on time.
The court’s ruling emphasized the limited scope of its jurisdiction in challenging arbitral awards. “The jurisdiction of this Court under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act is very limited. BCCI’s endeavor 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 court stated.
Back in 2015, an arbitration tribunal initially ruled in favor of Kochi Tuskers, ordering the BCCI to pay ₹550 crore (₹384 crore to KCPL and ₹153 crore to Rendezvous Sports). The BCCI had subsequently challenged that verdict in court. The then IPL Chairman, Rajeev Shukla, had commented after a Governing Council meeting, “We have got arbitrator Lahoti’s report. The majority of the members are of the opinion of appealing against arbitrator’s report. We are seeking legal opinion.”
Kochi Tuskers Kerala was purchased for a massive ₹1,550 crore a year before their termination. Despite winning their case against the BCCI, the franchise only played one season, finishing eighth in the 10-team league after winning six out of 14 games. Notable players like Brad Hodge, Mahela Jayawardene, Brendon McCullum, and Ravindra Jadeja all featured for the team in their sole IPL season.
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