By Zainab Shafiq 
Over a decade after the controversial Kochi Tuskers Kerala termination, the saga has returned to the spotlight, and this time, it’s the BCCI that finds itself cornered. In a ruling passed by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday, India’s cricket board has been ordered to pay INR 385.50 crore to Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL) and INR 153.34 crore to Rendezvous Sports World (RSW), the two entities that owned the defunct franchise.
The Kochi Tuskers Kerala played just one IPL season in 2011 before being terminated by the BCCI in September that year for failing to submit a bank guarantee on time. The case had since been dragged through years of arbitration, with the arbitrator in 2015 declaring the BCCI’s actions a “repudiatory breach” of contract. This decision has now been upheld by the court, reaffirming that the Kochi Tuskers Kerala termination was unjustified.
BCCI’s Legal Challenge Dismissed Against Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Justice Riyaz I. Chagla made it clear that BCCI’s attempt to overturn the arbitration result lacked merit. He stated that the board’s arguments were outside the limited scope of Section 34 of the Arbitration Act. According to the court, the BCCI had wrongfully invoked the bank guarantee, and the arbitrator’s findings were firmly supported by the evidence on record.
The judgment emphasized that dissatisfaction with evidence or merit does not qualify as a legal basis to overturn the award. With the Kochi Tuskers Kerala termination now judicially validated as wrongful, the BCCI has six weeks to file an appeal.
The ruling may spark fresh calls for Kochi’s return to the IPL. Fans and former stakeholders have previously voiced interest in revival, especially after winning the arbitration. But even if re-entry is not immediate, the verdict marks a moral and financial win for those behind the short-lived franchise.