Taking the first step towards laying out a fresh roadmap for the controversy-marred Indian Premier League, the BCCI today decided to float tenders for two new teams to replace the suspended franchises of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, which will return to the cash-rich league in 2018.
At its working committee meeting here, the Board decided not to terminate CSK and RR, both of which are currently serving a two-year suspension recommended by the Supreme Court-appointed Justice R M Lodha committee for their involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal.
Today's decision by the BCCI will make the next two IPLs an eight-team affair.
However, the BCCI did not clarify whether IPL will be a 10-team affair from 2018, when CSK and RR will come back to the fold.
"IPL Working Group had made four recommendations out of which one recommendation has
been accepted by the BCCI working committee. The two vacant slots (created by CSK and RR) should be auctioned for two years. After that, we will decide whether to go for two more franchises or we should confine IPL to eight teams," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said after the meeting.
Asked if new franchises will be from Chennai and Jaipur, Shukla said:"City preference is not there as the highest bidder will get to choose."
Among other important decisions taken at today's meeting, the Board has scheduled its Annual General Meeting for November 9.
The BCCI said it will invite fresh bids for two new teams, which will be competing from 2016 onwards to complete the eight-team format of the Twenty20 event.
The Working Committee's decision was strictly in lines with the suggestions of the IPL Working Group, which comprised IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, former India captain Sourav Ganguly and treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhary.
"The Justice Lodha committee interim report will be implemented fully. The two franchisee teams, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals remain suspended for two years. BCCI will float tenders and invite bids for two new teams to replace CSK & RR in the Indian Premier League for 2016 and 2017 (2 years)," the BCCI said in a statement.
Majority of the BCCI members were not too keen on termination of the two IPL franchises, which were involved in the spot-fixing scandal in 2013.
