Indian Premier League (IPL), which is one of the most entertaining tournaments in the world of cricket, took a hit last month when Justice RM Lodha-led Committee announced the verdict of the IPL spot fixing scandal. But BCCI chairman Rajeev Shukla had promised earlier that IPL 2016 will happen and it seems that they have set their course for it.
This verdict came hard on two franchises and their respective owners. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been suspended from the IPL for two years and their owners Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra have also been suspended from any kind of cricketing activities for life. BCCI had mentioned right after the verdict that they respect the decision and they will abide by it.
Thus, BCCI had formed a Working Group consisting of four members who will study the 59-page Lodha Committee report and pan out a road map for IPL 2016. This committee which is headed by Rajeev Shukla himself, met in New Delhi for the first time on Monday to discuss way ahead for the cash rich league's next season. To no one's surprise, the sponsors are backing BCCI for the next edition of IPL.
"We have started meeting all the stakeholders from today. Today the representatives of Yes Bank came and met the members of the working group. Yes Bank is one of our sponsors. Similarly we will meet other sponsors and also speak to them about how to make IPL 9 a success.
"In Mumbai we plan to meet at least four franchise owners. We have set the ball rolling. We have to discuss all the possibilities about new teams and future of players," Shukla told the reporters on Monday in New Delhi.
"The working group comprises Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and IPL governing council member and former captain Sourav Ganguly, and will be assisted by Usha Nath Bannerjee, the Board's legal counsel. All of them were present in the meeting.
"We don't have any views right now. Once we talk to all stakeholders we would then put forward our viewpoint," Shukla added.
