“There Will be an IPL Season 9,” Assures IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla

With the BCCI President making it clear they will respect the verdict, IPL GC will meet on Sunday to decide future.

Former Champions Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the Indian Premier League for the next two years by the Supreme Court appointed Justice Lodha Committee on Tuesday.

With two of their team owners also being banned for life for being involved in betting in the 2013 season, there were questions on if the league itself should be disbanded.

However, on Wednesday, the IPL’s Chairman Rajiv Shukla met with BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya in Kolkata and rejected all such reports.

You should be rest assured that IPL 9 will take place and there would not be any problem as far as BCCI is concerned.
– Rajiv Shukla, IPL Chairman

BCCI To Form Panel to Decide Future

Soon after the verdict on Tuesday, the board called for an emergent IPL Governing Council meeting this Sunday to decide the way forward.

The committee is headed by Rajiv Shukla with all the office-bearers of BCCI in the panel as ex-officio members along with eleven others - including ex-cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble.

We are in the process of consultation. I had a meeting with president Jagmohan Dalmiya and I’m in talks with the secretary Mr Thakur also. We will analyse and study the entire report at the Governing Council on July 19 and there it may be decided to form a group to study the report and how it can be implemented.
– Rajiv Shukla, IPL Chairman

“Teams Can Appeal”

With BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya making it very clear soon after the verdict that the board would “respect the judicial verdict,” Shukla also added that the process of implementation of the suspensions is now underway.

However, he did clarify that the recommendations of the Justice Lodha Committee is not the end of the road for the two suspended teams.

The affected teams can appeal against the verdict but it will be entirely their decision and the Board will not interfere with that.
– Rajiv Shukla, IPL Chairman

Way Forward for IPL?

A top official was quoted by PTI as saying that the Board could possibly explore two options to ensure that the IPL remains an eight-team event and not six, after the 2 year suspensions of CSK and RR.

The BCCI can run the two teams for two years and the original owners can come back after the ban period is over. The other option is to invite fresh bids for two new teams since many corporates have expressed an interest in buying an IPL team.
– BCCI official to PTI

(With inputs from PTI)