The Indian Premier League version 9.0 might just see eight teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy as Deccan Chargers might make a comeback next season alongside Kochi Tuskers.
Deccan Chargers' final arbitration against the board is due later this month. Recently, the Tuskers had won an arbitration against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
A committee, headed by Justice RM Lodha, announced the verdict on the IPL spot-fixing case of 2013 on Tuesday, where the committee suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years. As a result, IPL currently has only six teams for the next edition.
"The final arbitration is likely to be held later this month. DC owners are confident of winning the arbitration and eventually returning to the IPL. If the arbitrator rules in favour of the Chargers, the franchise could be tempted to float a team from a different city than Hyderabad (since the city already has an IPL team in Hyderbabad Sunrisers)," a source close to the developments told Times of India. "If they win the case, they could get a huge sum from BCCI. If the board is supposed to give Kochi, just a one-year-old team, around Rs 600 crore, imagine the amount that Chargers will get."
Due to financial issues, Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL) decided to put the team up for sale, but it did not work out. Later, BCCI had terminated the side from IPL in 2012, for breach of contract. After that, the franchise moved the Bombay High Court as they felt that their side was illegally removed from the league.
