Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 5: Former junior foreign minister Shashi Tharoor and cricketer S. Sreesanth on Sunday welcomed the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s decision to allow the Kochi franchise to play in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The IPL governing council decided to retain the Kochi franchise after its owners, in a last-minute agreement, sorted out their differences in the shareholding pattern.
The team would now be known as Kochi Private Limited.
Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor, who had to quit the union cabinet following reports that his then friend and now wife Sunanda Pushkar had sweat equity in the consortium, said he was extremely happy with the decision. “This is a great thing for the sports lovers in my state,” Tharoor said.
“I see through this the prospects of development of the state with a 21st century franchise. My role was only that of a mentor and I had no role in putting together the consortium. I am really happy because I was so enthusiastic to see the urge of the youngsters in the state who were excited when the news first came about a Kochi team,” Tharoor added.
Indian speedster Sreesanth said he was delighted with the news. “It is my desire to play for the Kochi team, but I do not know how things will transpire because we are all going to be auctioned. It is my dream to play for Kochi and come on top in IPL,” said Sreesanth.
Satyajit Gaikwad, spokesperson of Rendezvous Sports World Limited, one of the investors, was delighted. “Differences (in the franchise) are now things of the past. We had done everything to facilitate the team to survive. Earlier we were consortium partners. Now we are a family of IPL Kochi Private Limited,” Satyajit, who was here for the IPL Governing Council meeting, said.
“We will have a Board meeting as soon as possible, may be tonight or tomorrow to decide the future course of action and team building. We are very sure that we will rise up to the expectations of cricket fraternity of Kerala and India,” Satyajit said.
The compromise among the stakeholders came after the Gaikwads of Rendezvous Sports World Limited agreed, after initial refusal, to reduce their equity share to about 10 per cent from earlier 26 percent.
Satyajit, however, clarified that the entire 10 per cent equity was sweat and not paid up.
“Rendezvous has 10 per cent sweat equity and there is no question of five per cent paid up,” he said.