'Are IPL franchisees slaves?' - Vijay Mallya

A number of IPL franchises have questioned whether the BCCI respects the rights of all the league's stakeholders, with Vijay Mallya asking if the teams are merely slaves, following the board's decision to suddenly terminate two of the teams - Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab - on Sunday.

"I wonder if the franchisees are serious stakeholders whose investments and participation are respected, or are they slaves who only come and play." Mallya, who owns the Royals Challengers Bangalore, asked on Twitter.

Raj Kundra, part-owner of Rajasthan Royals, questioned whether there the IPL will even be played next year if the board continues to treat the teams so callously. "I am still not sure why our contract has been terminated," he told news channel NDTV. "I am mulling legal options but I am not sure whether we can have IPL 4 if teams are treated like this."

If a case is filed, it could force the league to postpone the player auction, currently scheduled to be held in November, something that worries a number of the remaining teams. "This will affect all the franchises," another team official told ESPNcricinfo. "It adds to the uncertainty, which is bad for business."

An official with the Punjab franchise, however, said they were not considering legal options at the moment and expressed hope of resolving the situation with the BCCI. "We are in shock. It came out of the blue, it was absolutely unexpected."

Sidhartha Mallya endorsed his father's comments, saying that the teams are the main shareholders in the league. He said that just like the UB group, India's largest alcoholic beverages company which is owned by his family, has obligations to its shareholders, the league has certain obligations to the franchises that have been 'terminated.' Sidhartha Mallya said Sunday's decision had led him to "question whether we are being looked after at the level we should be."

Shane Warne, who led Rajasthan to victory in the augural IPL, called the decision a big shock on Twitter, and hoped that the BCCI would come to its senses. Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who is fighting his own battle with the board, said that the teams are what makes the league and what has happened "is something that will only harm the image of the IPL and BCCI."

Abhijit Sarkar, spokesperson for the Sahara Warriors, one of the two new teams in the league along with Kochi, said that the franchise had no comment to make on the legal issues. Sarkar said, "We are newcomers in IPL and have been busy with getting our team ready. Our primary concerns are the player auction and the player retention."

Franchises are now anxious about the legal ramifications of scrapping two out of the IPL's eight original franchises. An IPL team official said, "The legal domain is a very tricky one. What happens if the auction is stayed by the court? This could jeopardise the IPL itself." The BCCI's statement about the termination said the decision had been arrived it based on "legal opinions obtained" about Rajasthan and Punjab. The 'legal opinion', IPL frachise believed was not necessarily a switft conclusion to the controversy. He said, "Legal opinion also advised the BCCI to file charges against Jagmohan Dalmiya and how did that go?"

The IPL governing council ejected Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab from the league on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms at its emergency meeting earlier today.