They love cricket, and claim to have promoted the game in their home turf Sholapur. However, the media was oblivious to their existence and their contribution to the game until they sought to join the big boys in April. The Gaikwad brothers — Ravindra, Shailendra and Satyajit — came into the limelight by helping to form the consortium that bagged the Kochi franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for $333 million.
Amidst the din of ownership issues, the Gaikwads’ emergence has been remarkable. When conspiracy theories started unfolding in April, some saying that powerful politicians were keen to shift the Kochi franchise to another state, Satyajit said: “Those in power do not want us to succeed, as we are small-town boys with a humble background.”
Ravindra Gaikwad was the brain behind putting the consortium together for the bid. At the time, he worked for the Maharashtra government’s regional transport office. Brother Shailendra was the face of the franchise’s operations and appointed CEO. He was also present during the bidding, not Ravindra. When the operation took on political overtones, the duo drafted cousin and former Congress MP from Vadodara Satyajit Gaikwad to help in damage control. Last month, RSW announced the appointment of Satyajit as the new CEO of the franchise.
The franchise is now divided into two factions with the Gaikwad brothers on one side refusing to part with their sweat equity, and other investors asking them to pay up for their share of equity. Cricket board BCCI has given both factions one month to sort out their differences. Satyajit said he is “grateful to BCCI” for granting more time and expressed hope that the consortium partners would be able to come to an agreement over ownership.
With BCCI terminating the contracts of two teams already on grounds of irregularities, the proverbial axe dangles over the Kochi franchise. Will the Gaikwad brothers manage to save their team? We will know in a few weeks’ time.