The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working group has considered several options regarding the two suspended franchises--Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR)--and these options will be discussed in its meeting in Kolkata on 28 August.
Some reports suggest that the BCCI is likely to retain CSK and RR for the next two editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
A judicial commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice RM Lodha had suspended the two franchises for two years on 14 July. The BCCI had then formed the working group to study the 59-page Lodha committee report, giving it six weeks to come with a decision on the two suspended franchises.
The stakeholders have come up with several suggestions over a period of one month and based on these suggestions, the working group will submit its first report to the IPL governing council.
"No doubt our immediate priority is to ensure smooth conduct of IPL 2016. But we also need to keep future in mind. Most stakeholders expressed that the IPL model works best with eight teams. But if the BCCI finances are going to take a major hit with the other options, we will be left with no option but to float tenders for adding two teams for a longer duration," a working group member told ESPN Cricinfo.
Sources suggested that the two franchises could be handed over to banks or reputed law firms.
"The eight-team format is suiting IPL best. The governing council will take a call on this before giving suggestions to the working committee," a source close to the development told The Times of India.
