The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council (GC) members favour fresh bids for two new teams for Chennai and Jaipur to replace Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for the next two editions of the IPL, suggest reports.
If the GC decides to seek new bids for two teams to replace Chennai and Jaipur, then the bids will be valid until 2017. The next year, the BCCI will have to renew the bids, as the current teams in the league were sold for 10 years in 2008. The flip side now is that the BCCI would find it difficult to find buyers for just two years and there is a possibility CSK and RR might challenge the move from the Board.
"IPL will be held with a minimum of eight teams. There will be no change in that. How we will proceed will be recommended by the working group which will have discussions with all the stakeholders like the sponsors, broadcasters, franchisees and state associations.
"We are neither questioning, nor challenging, nor debating the (SC) order. So, why should people think that we are dilly-dallying?" Shukla told The Times of India.
A three-jduge committee headed by former Chief Justice of India Justice RM Lodha had announced its verdict on IPL spot fixing scandal of 2013 last Tuesday, suspending CSK and RR from the IPL for two years.
After this, the BCCI formed a Working Group headed IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla to study the Lodha Committee Report and create a road map for the ninth edition of the IPL. The Group will take six weeks to study the 59-page report. Post that, the Board might come up with a solution to the issue.
"The committee will consult the legal experts before coming up with recommendations since we do not want any legal complications later on," said Shukla.
