Ravi Shastri bats for suspended CSK, RR; IPL GC divided

Days after the Lodha Commission’s verdict on the Indian Premier League (IPL) team owners’ betting fiasco, the IPL Governing Council (GC) held a meeting on Sunday to discuss the possible solutions and ideas to continue with the 9th edition of IPL. The meeting turned into a heated debate as the GC was divided on difference of opinion on whether to terminate the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals or not.

“The option of termination of these franchises was raised by Ajay Shirke (former BCCI treasurer). However, it was opposed by former all-rounder and Team India director Ravi Shastri. Incidentally, both Shastri and Shirke had joined the meeting on Skype from London. Arguing CSK and Royals’ case vehemently, Ravi Shastri said that both the teams had contributed to the IPL brand big time over the years. He argued why should the players, or the support staff, say a reputed ex-cricketer like Rahul Dravid (a mentor of Rajasthan Royals) suffer because of the misdeeds of Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra,” a source who attended the meet, told TOI on Sunday.

Ravi Shastri’s point was discarded by the Board Secretary Anurag Thakur saying that the Board didn’t think along these line while terminating the contracts of Kochi Tuskers and Pune Warriors. The Secretary asked Shastri why wasn’t players interest taken into account back then.

According to the source, few members had already decided upon forming a Working Group who’d study the Lodha Commission’s verdict and decide whether or not the GC should terminate CSK and RR forever.

Other members, however, defended Sunday’s decision.”We don’t want to act in haste, and end up in a Kochi-type situation. We have learnt from the past (bitter) experiences in this regard. It is better to take a collective decision, with proper legal opinion, before going ahead with anything like this. The Lodha Commission hasn’t terminated, but suspended these teams. We can’t be going one step beyond this decision, which, remember, was taken by the SC-appointed committee after a six-month deliberation. There’s no point in hanging the same man for the same offence twice. As for auctioning two new teams, we want to take on board the views of the other franchises on this, too, since they too would be affected by it,” said a member.

As per reports, IPL COO Sundar Raman ruled out the possibility of having 10 teams in IPL-9 saying that it will be a ‘logistical nightmare’ but his argument was cut short by former BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke who said that Raman had been a part of the 10-team IPLs too.

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