BCCI accepts Sunil Gavaskar as interim chief; welcomes move to allow CSK and RR in IPL 7

Rajiv Shukla

The BCCI has welcomed the Supreme Court decision to allow Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings to play in the IPL. With the future of the IPL hanging in the balance until today morning, the SC relented on one of its three demands to pave way for the tournament: to ban Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from IPL. However, the court gave no leeway to the BCCI in replacing N Srinivasan with Sunil Gavaskar as the BCCI president. Gavaskar will be in charge of the the Board till the end of IPL7, during which the court will look into the spot-fixing claims against the two franchises in concern.

A statement from Rajeev Shukla said, “We have no objection to the Supreme Court order. The BCCI lawyers have also said that the order is acceptable. Even Mr Srinivasan had said through the lawyers that he is willing to step aside and after that what court decides will be acceptable to him. The good thing is that all eight teams will play in this year’s IPL. IPL will go on and there will be no hindrance.”

He added, “It was not wise to drag Dhoni is this matter. He has nothing to do with it.” The BCCI also said that the order to make Gavaskar interim president was ‘acceptable’ to the Board.