Royals threaten legal action BANGALORE: Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have been thrown out of the Indian Premier League over ownership issues, tournament organizers said Sunday. The governing council of the cash-rich Twenty20 event, owned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), also issued notices to the new Kochi franchise to resolve their ownership disputes. “The governing council of the IPL met today to discuss and decide on the breaches committed by three of the franchisees, Punjab, Rajasthan and Kochi,” the BCCI said in a statement. “It was unanimously decided that franchise agreements with Punjab and Rajasthan be terminated forthwith based on legal opinions obtained by the BCCI in the matters. “It was further unanimously decided to issue a notice to Kochi calling upon them to resolve all their disputes and form a joint venture company which will hold the IPL Franchise rights.” BCCI President Sashank Manohar said the elimination of the two sides had nothing to do with former IPL chief Lalit Modi, who has been kicked out of the BCCI for financial irregularities. The breaches, he said, involved unsanctioned changes in shareholding patterns, or differences between the names of the bidders and those who eventually entered the agreements. Modi has denied any wrongdoing in the bidding process, and says his running of the highly successful IPL was completely transparent. In a stream of posts on Twitter, Modi urged the clubs should take control of the IPL themselves and criticized the president of the BCCI for taking “a path of vengeance” that will damage the game. “The Game is bigger than the organization. The Owners should get together and Run the League,” he tweeted. “IPL should not be destroyed.” Modi accused the BCCI of having “total disregard for franchisees” and had “lost the ability to administer sensibly.” “The status of all teams is the same. They were all approved. There is no ambiguity as far as that is concerned. The action it totally illegal,” he tweeted. The BCCI is “hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of - The IPL. So as to satisfy there personal Agendas.” Kings XI Punjab was bought for $76 million in 2008 by a consortium of businessmen including Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman, Karan Paul, Aditya Khanna and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta. Rajasthan Royals was bought for $67 million by businessmen Manoj Badale and Lachlan Murdoch, who were later joined by Raj Kundra and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty. Both teams took part in the first three editions of IPL, before their ownership deals were questioned by BCCI officials who were probing financial irregularities by Modi. The six other original franchises are Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore Royal Challengers, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils and MumbaiIndians. Two new franchises, Kochi and Pune, are to be added to the 2011 edition with a fresh auction of players to be held later this year. Kundra, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals, reacted strongly to the BCCI's move and threatened legal action. “I don't see IPL 4 happening if the BCCI treats other teams like this,” Kundra was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency. “The termination of the contract by BCCI is shocking. We are seriously thinking of legal action. We need to see a copy of the termination notice and study it.” Bangalore owner Vijay Mallya tweeted: “I wonder if IPL franchisees are serious stakeholders whose investments and participation are respected, or are they slaves who only come and play?” A Punjab official was hopeful of a resolution soon. “We are in shock,” the official told Cricinfo. “It came out of the blue, it was absolutely unexpected.” Rajasthan Royals, captained by former Australian spin wizard Shane Warne, won the inaugural tournament in 2008. The Punjab team included Sri Lankan stars Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, Australian pace bowler Brett Lee and India's Yuvraj Singh. Warne, who woke up to the news in England and was returning to Australia Sunday, asked “What now for the youngsters”? Warne also used the microblogging site to criticize the BCCI's decision. “The Royals gave young unknown Indian players a chance,” he wrote. “3 seasons ago Royals won the first ever IPL, underdogs come good what a story, it helped give credibility to the competition!!! Now look. Such sad news for us and our loyal fans, shattering to all.”
