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NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League could shrink from 10 teams to seven next month after the new Kochi franchise was told on Wednesday to resolve ownership disputes or be thrown out.
“We have given Kochi 30 days to sort out their problems,” said Indian cricket board (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar after a meeting of the lucrative Twenty20 league's governing council in Nagpur.
The Kochi franchise was bought by the little-known Rendezvous Sports World Limited for 333 million dollars at an auction in March to add two new teams to the existing field of eight.
The dispute arose after the various stakeholders in the franchise failed to agree on a 25 per cent free equity share for Rendezvous Sports.
If the dispute is not settled, Kochi could join Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab on the sidelines.
Rajasthan and Punjab were thrown out earlier this month for similar ownership issues as the BCCI, which owns the tournament, continued to crack the whip to cleanse the event of corruption charges.
The BCCI is looking to make a fresh start after IPL founder Lalit Modi was sacked last month following allegations of corruption, indiscipline and money-laundering, all of which he denies.
Modi, the brash driving force behind the tournament, was also removed as one of the five vice-presidents of the BCCI and as head of its marketing committee.
The BCCI has registered a criminal case against Modi over the misappropriation of funds amounting to 4.68 billion rupees (106 million dollars) during IPL events.
The Enforcement Directorate, an investigative branch of the finance ministry, has initiated a process to get Modi's passport revoked due to his failure to answer charges against him.
Modi has not been seen in India since he was suspended from the IPL in April, but is reported to be living in London.
A fresh players' auction will take place at an unspecified date for the IPL's season four next year since the original contracts were only for a three-year period.
The Sahara group, which sponsors the Indian cricket team, was the other successful new bidder at the March auction by laying out 370 million dollars for the Pune franchise.
The eight original franchises, apart from Punjab and Rajasthan, are Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians.
Rajasthan Royals, captained by former Australian spin wizard Shane Warne, won the inaugural tournament in 2008.
