BCCI wins legal battle against Deccan Chargers

In a big relief for the the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Bombay High Court has set aside an arbitrator's order that asked them to pay ₹4800 crore to Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. The BCCI challenged the verdict from 2020, where it was asked to pay the money, with the Bombay High Court now overruling the arbitrator's decision.

The Deccan Chargers, owned by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited (DCHL), won the IPL in 2009, but the BCCI terminated its contract in 2012. The governing body alleged that the Deccan franchise had breached the BCCI code. DCHL tried to auction its franchise but rejected a sole bid received from PVP Ventures.

As a result, the BCCI terminated the franchise and brought the Deccan Chargers players back into the auction pool. In 2012, the DCHL approached the Bombay High Court, which appointed retired Supreme Court Justice C. K. Thakker as the sole arbitrator.

#BombayHighCourt has set aside the sole arbitrator’s order which directed #BCCI to pay over Rs 4,800 crore to Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd (DCHL) in their dispute over what it alleged was an illegal termination of the latter’s IPL franchise team from Hyderabad.@BCCI pic.twitter.com/7tfTcKj6tN

— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) June 16, 2021

The arbitrator ordered the BCCI to shell out ₹4800 crore in 2020, which the cricketing body immediately challenged. The Bombay High Court has now set aside the arbitrator's order, much to the relief of the BCCI.

"We are extremely happy with the development" - A BCCI official on the judgement

Sourav Ganguly is the current BCCI president.

A BCCI official in the know of developments welcomed the latest order by the Bombay High Court and added that the governing body had terminated the Deccan Chargers' contract as per agreed terms in the agreement. A BCCI official was quoted as saying to ANI:

"We are extremely happy with the development. It has vindicated our position as we had always followed what was in the agreement."

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), owned by SUN Group, emerged as a new Hyderabad-based franchise in 2012 after the Deccan Charger's contract was terminated. SRH won the title back in 2016 under David Warner's captaincy.

Sunrisers are struggling in the 2021 edition of the IPL as they sit rock-bottom in the points table.

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— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 24, 2021