The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had terminated the IPL team Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) in 2011. Since then, the matter had been under litigation between the team owners and the BCCI. Now, the Bombay High Court has delivered a verdict ordering the BCCI to pay ₹539 crore to the team owners, stating that the termination was done without a valid reason and not in accordance with the rules.
In short, the BCCI has suffered a major setback in the 2011 Kochi Tuskers Kerala termination case. The Bombay High Court has upheld the 2015 arbitration ruling against the BCCI and has directed them to pay a total of ₹539 crore.
Out of the total amount, ₹385.50 crore must be paid to Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL), and ₹153.34 crore to Rendezvous Sports World (RSW). The Kochi Tuskers Kerala team participated only in the 2011 IPL season and finished eighth out of ten teams. The team was captained by Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene, and its ownership was shared between KCPL and RSW.
In September 2011, the BCCI terminated the team’s contract citing failure to provide a bank guarantee on time. KCPL and RSW initiated arbitration proceedings in 2012, challenging the termination as unfair. In 2015, the arbitration tribunal ruled in their favour, awarding KCPL compensation of over ₹384.8 crore, along with an additional ₹153.3 crore (including interest and costs) to RSW. BCCI had challenged this decision in the High Court.
Also Read: IND vs ENG 1st Test 2025 – Karun Nair Injured in Practice
Justice Riyaz I. Chagla noted that the court’s power under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act is very limited in such matters. He further observed that the BCCI had wrongly invoked the bank guarantee, which was a breach of its agreement with KCPL. Therefore, the arbitrator’s ruling was deemed valid. However, the BCCI has been granted six weeks to file an appeal.
About Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) was a now-defunct IPL franchise that represented the city of Kochi, Kerala. It was introduced in the 2011 IPL season, alongside Pune Warriors India. The team was owned by Kochi Cricket Pvt. Ltd., a consortium of several companies. KTK played only one season (2011), after which the BCCI terminated their contract in 2012.
