The BCCI has been dealt a serious blow in its decade-long legal tangle with the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise. On Tuesday, the Bombay High Court upheld the 2015 arbitration ruling, ordering the cricket board to cough up ₹539 crore in dues.
The payout includes ₹385.5 crore to Kochi Cricket Pvt Ltd (KCPL) and another ₹153.34 crore to Rendezvous Sports World (RSW), the joint owners of the short-lived IPL team.
One Season, One Big Fallout
Kochi Tuskers played just once — back in the 2011 IPL season — before being abruptly shut down by the board later that year. The BCCI’s reasoning? They said the franchise missed a key deadline to submit a bank guarantee.
That’s when things got messy.
The franchise owners hit back legally, claiming wrongful termination. What followed was an extended arbitration process that ended in their favour in 2015 — but the BCCI challenged that too, trying to overturn the award.
Court Shuts the Door on BCCI’s Challenge
In Tuesday’s ruling, Justice Riyaz I. Chagla made it clear: the BCCI had no legal grounds to go after the arbitrator’s decision.
“BCCI’s effort to revisit the dispute’s merits isn’t allowed under Section 34,” the judge said, referring to the Arbitration Act. “Being unhappy with the outcome isn’t enough to toss the award.”
He added that the arbitrator’s finding — that the board acted wrongly by invoking the bank guarantee — stood firm.
In short, the court found no reason to interfere.
What Happens Now?
The court has given the BCCI six weeks to appeal. Whether they do or not, the ruling sends a message — cricket’s commercial dealings are very much under the legal spotlight now.
And while ₹539 crore won’t cripple the BCCI’s vast finances, it’s still a serious sum. It could also push the board to be more cautious — and possibly more transparent — in how it handles its IPL franchise contracts going forward.
Thirteen Years Later, It’s Finally Wrapping Up
The Kochi Tuskers story has always been a strange one. The team barely made a dent in its only season, finishing eighth out of ten. Yet, it ended up being at the centre of one of Indian cricket’s lengthiest legal episodes.
What began as a franchise controversy is now a cautionary tale — about governance, contracts, and what happens when big money meets poor execution.
For now, the legal ball is in BCCI’s court. But this time, they’ve got a lot less room to play with.
