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Tom Alsop, James Coles add fifties on shortened second day in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2023A trademark defensive masterclass from captain Cheteshwar Pujara batted Sussex into a promising position on the second day of the rain-affected LV= County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.After a delayed start at 1.50pm due to a saturated outfield, the visitors took their first innings total from 47 for 1 to 302 for 4, India Test star Pujara leading the way with 99 not out, one short of his 58th first-class century, while Tom Alsop contributed 67 and James Coles a career-best 74.Zafar Gohar was the most successful Gloucestershire bowler with 2 for 67. But even his efforts on a docile surface could not unsettle the patient Pujara, who by the close had faced 190 balls and hit 13 fours and a six.Warm sunshine and a drying breeze dispelled fears of a second day washout after only 16 overs had been possible on day one before persistent heavy rain left standing water on an already wet outfield.Umpires Billy Taylor and Mark Newell decided play could resume after inspections at 11am, 12.30pm and 1.20pm. Gloucestershire skipper Graeme van Buuren opted to open the bowling with left-arm spinner Gohar and it paid quick dividends.Ali Orr, having added five to his overnight score of 31, went to reverse sweep the first ball of the third over and only succeeded in top-edging a gentle catch to wicketkeeper James Bracey, making the score 58 for 2.Having advanced from 11 to 34, Alsop survived a sharp chance to Miles Hammond at gully off Marchant de Lange, the ball stinging the tips of the fielder’s fingers on the way to the third-man boundary. It was all the good fortune the Sussex left-hander needed to progress to fifty, off 123 balls, with 6 fours, out of a total of 111 for 2.Ominously for Gloucestershire, Pujara looked to be setting his stall out for a long innings from the moment he took strike. The experienced India Test batter exercised great caution, particularly against the accurate de Lange, who had figures of 1 for 17 after 11 overs, four of them maidens.Pujara took 78 balls to reach 19, but then cut loose with a pulled four off de Lange and a square cut boundary off Gohar. By tea, which was taken at 4pm, Sussex had made 138 for 2 from 49 overs, with Alsop on 63 and Pujara on 28. The visitors were clearly intent on only batting once in a match already heavily curtailed by the weather.The final session began with Ajeet Dale going past the inside edge of Alsop’s bat, the ball swinging late and beating Bracey to add four byes to the total. Dale troubled both batsmen from the Ashley Down Road End, working up decent pace on the slow pitch, and got his reward when Alsop edged a defensive shot to first slip where Chris Dent held the catch into his midriff.At 158 for 3, Sussex needed to rebuild. But by then Pujara had moved on to 40 off 108 deliveries and looked well set. He was joined by a player more than 16 years his junior in England Under-19 international Coles.With the Seat Unique Stadium bathed in sunshine, Pujara moved to his half-century, having batted for almost exactly three hours and hit eight fours. He celebrated with a glorious driven boundary through extra cover off van Buuren, an indication of the fund of attacking shots in his locker when he chooses to unleash them, while Coles looked untroubled in sharing a century stand in 24 overs.The nearest Pujara came to getting out was an inside edge past his leg stump off Gofar. He responded by cutting two boundaries off the left-arm spinner’s next over.Gloucestershire took the second new ball after 80 overs, with the scoreboard reading 258 for 3. But it made no impact as Coles reached a fluent and chanceless fifty off 85 balls, with six fours. The 19-year-old fell in the final over of the day, stumped moving down the pitch to Gohar in an effort to give Pujara the strike.The Indian maestro is unlikely to lose any sleep over being on 99 and will look to add significantly more on day three.

RCB captain du Plessis says Kohli is in good spirits and is seeing the “lighter side of it”

Sidharth Monga13-May-2022Virat Kohli believes a big innings is around the corner, his IPL captain Faf du Plessis has said, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Mike Hesson is not ruling out that big innings in their final league match, which could well be a must-win affair.Kohli has not scored an international century since the end of 2019, but his T20 batting has been cause for bigger concern. In this IPL, he has scored three golden ducks, has been run out twice, and on Friday he managed to get caught at short fine leg off his thigh pad, which left him frustrated because he had got himself in and was looking good.”He is seeing the lighter side of it,” du Plessis said. “Every single way you can think possibly to get out. Just how the game works, doesn’t it? Sometimes when you are under pressure, the game finds ways to keep you under pressure. What you can really do is keep working hard, keep up a good intensity, a good attitude, keep staying positive, knowing that it’s around the corner. He played some really good shots tonight. Obviously he would have liked to have kept going but he is handling it really well. Tough patches are difficult for all of us but he is in good spirits. He also believes it is around the corner.”Related

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Hesson also spoke of Kohli’s poor luck. “Virat, I thought, looked very good today,” Hesson said. “He looked in good touch, he was aggressive, and he is doing everything off the park as well in terms of making sure he prepares well. I thought today was going to be his day but once again… it hits the other side of the thigh pad and goes down and he gets a single. He hasn’t had a huge amount of huge fortune especially when he has got himself set, when he has got himself in. He is as frustrated as anybody. We thought today was going to be the day.”Hesson doesn’t believe much is wrong with Kohli’s game. “Look he is the best we have ever had in terms of RCB,” Hesson said when asked what was going wrong. “He is an incredible player. He hasn’t scored the volume of runs he would have liked. Today he looked in really good touch. It is not a technical thing. As I said, he is putting in a lot of work behind the scenes. He looked in really good touch today. He was unfortunate. I thought we were going to see something special. Virat is as frustrated as anyone but we know that the epic one is around the corner. We have got a huge game coming up. So there is no reason why it won’t be in a few days’ time.”Kohli’s lack of big runs in any format of cricket has been a matter of debate over the last year or so. During this period he has given up – in phases – his India captaincy and also RCB captaincy. His former India coach and confidante Ravi Shastri has said he is overcooked and needs a break.

He is currently placed in isolation, and the match is expected to go ahead as scheduled

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2022Sri Lanka allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga has returned a Covid-19 positive Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on the morning of the third T20I against Australia in Canberra. He is currently placed in isolation, and the match is expected to go ahead as scheduled.Hasaranga is the third member of the touring party to test positive for the virus after Kusal Mendis and Binura Fernando. Mendis, who returned a positive test on February 7, is expected to be available for selection for the third T20I after serving a seven-day isolation. Fernando, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the T20I series after testing positive on Saturday, the day after the series opener in Sydney.According to Arjuna de Silva, head of SLC’s medical department, Hasaranga will certainly miss the rest of the tour with Australian government protocols requiring a minimum seven-day isolation period upon contracting the virus. The series ends with the fifth T20I on February 20 in Melbourne.Hasaranga is also understood to be showing mild symptoms, but SLC are hopeful of having him back for next month’s tour of India.”He has some mild symptoms, some body aches,” de Silva said. “We think he probably contracted it from Binura. Unfortunately there’s no way that he’ll be able to play again on the tour, as he can only start training after three negative PCRs. After this tour, we’re going straight to India, so the aim now is to get him fit for that.”Hasaranga played in the first and the second T20Is, picking up a total of five wickets.Over the weekend, Hasaranga also bagged a big IPL deal when he was bought back by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 10.75 crore (USD 1.43 million). Hasaranga’s first team was also Royal Challengers and he had played two matches for them in IPL 2021.

Durham seamer draws level with Graham Onions after five-wicket haul

ECB Reporters Network14-May-2021Durham 246 (Lees 99, Tongue 5-39) and 79 for 1 lead Worcestershire 213 (Fell 44, Leach 42*, Rushworth 5-56) by 112 runs Chris Rushworth joined Graham Onions as Durham’s highest first-class wicket-taker after notching a five-wicket haul to dismiss Worcestershire for 213 in their LV= Insurance County Championship clash at Emirates Riverside.Rushworth was at his imperious best to claim figures of 5 for 56 to put the hosts in a strong position and move level with his former team-mate with 527 first-class strikes for Durham. Brydon Carse and Ben Raine were also on point, although late resistance from Joe Leach kept Worcestershire in the game.Although the home side lost Alex Lees early in their second innings, Scott Borthwick and Will Young held firm to leave the north-east outfit in control of the contest with a lead of 112 runs.Durham made a strong start to day two through Rushworth, who began the day by dismissing Daryl Mitchell for the ninth time in his first-class career, pinning the opener lbw with an inswinger. Jake Libby performed well in tough conditions, mustering 24 before he was undone by a brilliant delivery from Raine.The seamers were on the mark and did not allow Jack Haynes to settle. In his second spell, Rushworth removed Haynes lbw for 8 to reduce the visitors at 60 for 3. Brett D’Oliveira battled with Tom Fell to take Worcestershire into the lunch break, but the pressure resumed immediately after the restart.Related

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Fell survived a close lbw shout against Raine, but the right-armer plugged away and removed D’Oliveira for 10 in his next over. Fell offered solid resistance, grinding his way into the forties amid excellent bowling from the hosts. He was given a life by Borthwick, who put down a routine chance at second slip off Raine. The Durham captain’s blushes were spared by Carse as he skittled Fell, taking his off and middle stump out of the ground.Rushworth whittled through the lower order from the Lumley End, breaking through Riki Wessels’ defences tbefore pinning Ed Barnard on the crease. Mark Wood and Carse reduced the visitors to nine down by using their pace to prise out Ben Cox and Josh Tongue.However, Leach frustrated the hosts with a vital knock of 42. The Worcestershire captain produced a fifty partnership with Morris to bring his team within 33 of Durham’s first-innings total. Rushworth wrapped up the innings with his record-equalling scalp to bowl Morris, earning his 28th five-wicket haul in the process.Worcestershire claimed the vital wicket of Lees before the end of the day, but Young and Borthwick put together an unbeaten stand of 51 to leave Durham in a formidable position at 79 for one in their second innings.

All other players of the squad set to undergo tests on Tuesday, with results expected by evening

Press Trust of India23-Feb-2021The Vijay Hazare Trophy, the domestic 50-over men’s competition in India, has seen its first case of Covid-19 with a Bihar player testing positive for the novel coronavirus, following which all the other members of the squad are being tested.”It is confirmed and the concerned player has been isolated from other players,” a senior Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) official was quoted as saying by . “He is currently in Bangalore as he cannot travel.”Another source reportedly said all the other 21 players in the squad will undergo Covid-19 tests on Tuesday with the results expected by evening.Bihar are placed in Group C and their league games are scheduled in Bengaluru. They faced Karnataka on Monday, and their next match is against Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, which is expected to go on as scheduled according to a BCA official. Earlier, a player each from Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh, too, had reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 last week, but both the teams have continued playing their league games after undergoing tests.All matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy are being played under bio-secure bubbles across multiple cities. This is the second tournament, after the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, conducted by the BCCI in the curtailed 2020-21 domestic season.

The allrounder wants to be allowed to develop into his own style of player without comparisons to the past

Nagraj Gollapudi at Trent Bridge19-Aug-20180:47

‘Let me be Hardik Pandya, I’m good at being Hardik Pandya’

Hardik Pandya wants to be Hardik Pandya. He wants to stop being compared to the India’s greatest allrounder, Kapil Dev.Pandya took his maiden five-wicket haul within 29 balls on the second day at Trent Bridge, breaking England’s spine as they conceded 168-run lead, which was extended to 292 by the close with India having eight wickets in hand. Pandya is now the second-highest wicket-taker for India with eight and has the best average.Ever since Pandya smashed a 50 on debut and then made a century in his third Test during last year’s tour of Sri Lanka, the question has been asked if he can perform the role that Kapil did for India for about 15 years.Last week, the former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding told ESPNcricinfo that Pandya is not yet completely performing his role as a bowling allrounder convincingly. Holding had heard Pandya was being compared to Kapil during the South African Test series this January. Based on his own observation Holding said Pandya was “nowhere near” Kapil and India needed to find “somebody” who could contribute more.After his performance on Sunday, which turned the match firmly in India’s favour, Pandya said he is tired of the comparison and wants to put a stop on the talk.”The problem with this is you compare yes, but all of a sudden something goes wrong and they are like he is not that [Kapil Dev],” Pandya said. “I have never wanted to be Kapil Dev. Let me be Hardik Pandya. I am good at being Hardik Pandya, reached here till now, I have played 40 ODIs and now 10 Test matches being Hardik Pandya, not Kapil Dev. They are great in their era. Let me be Hardik Pandya. Stop comparing me with anyone. I will be happy if you don’t.”Talking to former England captain Nasser Hussain on Pandya said he does not care what the critics think. “For sure not. I will simply say one thing. Let’s not worry about me. I know what I am exactly doing. My team backs me. That’s what matters. And to be honest I don’t care what people say.”Pandya told Sky Sports the focus of the bowling group in the second session was to bowl full. “I tried to swing the ball and if you try to swing the ball you go little full. You tend to get driven. I am not afraid of getting driven because if the wickets come runs does not matter.”Pandya added that he did not want the batsmen to read him and one way to do that was to vary his release points, bowl from different parts of the popping crease, use the seam in different angles and create doubts in the their mind.”I feel that if I keep on bowling the same way they might get used to it,” he said. “So I always focus on using the crease or even the line where I am bowling because it is very important, it makes a huge difference. If I go wide and I bowl the same ball the batsman thinks it is coming in with the angle, but if goes out you get the opportunity of getting him out.”In the later press conference, Pandya revealed Ishant Sharma had jokingly told him to talk about his role in the five-for. Jokes apart, Pandya acknowledged Ishant did play a “big role”. Having played against most of the England batsmen in international and county cricket, Ishant has the knowledge of their weaknesses which he shared with Pandya.”Ishy [Ishant] was telling me the same thing: don’t go for the wickets, if you keep bowling at the rights areas, you have the talent to get them. That’s the same thing I tell him and same thing which we tell other bowlers. Keep it tight, let’s see what they do, let’s check their patience and once again we saw the result what happens.”Last year, in Pallekele, Pandya raised his bat to celebrate his maiden Test century. Today, in Nottingham, he flashed the ball to relish the maiden five-wicket haul. Which did he enjoy more? “I am happier with taking five-wicket haul than scoring a hundred. I have taken very few five-wicket hauls, I think this is the second of my life. and it has come at a very important place so I am very happy.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has hinted strongly at Mitchell Marsh’s likely inclusion for the final Ashes Test to be played at the WACA Ground

Daniel Brettig10-Dec-2017Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has hinted strongly at Mitchell Marsh’s likely inclusion for the Perth Test – the final Ashes match to be played at the WACA Ground – leaving Peter Handscomb very much in the gun as far as his immediate international future is concerned.Handscomb, who has struggled for runs and technical consistency against the plans and accuracy of England’s James Anderson in particular, may find himself left out in favour of Marsh for reasons of team balance. A fifth bowling option is thought to be necessary on what has this season been an unforgiving Perth surface for bowlers.While Nathan Lyon has performed commendably in the first two Tests as both an attacking and holding option, soaking up overs to keep Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins fresh, the likely WACA surface, Marsh’s return to the bowling crease and Handscomb’s current malaise all point towards a change being made.”We’ve got all the reports back and JL [Western Australia coach Justin Langer] has been really impressed with him,” Lehmann said in Perth as the Australian team assembled. “He’s surprised by bowling a couple of games ago, he surprised us as well to be perfectly honest. His batting has been exceptional all summer and he’s led from the front as captain. He deserves his chance.”Other people might be unlucky to miss out but Mitchell fills the role we need for this particular Test match. As a batter he was in some good form. But we needed his bowling as well. Now he’s bowling, we can consider him.”Much as the captain Steven Smith had factored preservation of the bowlers in his decision not to enforce the follow on against England in Adelaide, Lehmann said the team composition for Perth would take into account the pitch, weather and the freshness of the pace bowlers. Jackson Bird is the other bowling member of the squad.”It depends on the wickets, we’ll just wait and see. They said it’s going to have some pace and bounce in it, a bit like the old WACA,” Lehmann said. “It’s pretty hot this week so we’ll have a better idea probably on Tuesday/Wednesday of what we’re going to go with.”We just want to have the ability to get 20 wickets. So if the three and Nathan can do that so be it. If we decide to go with an extra one it would be for that reason. You’d love to be able to make them available for all Test matches and all one-dayers. End of the day we just don’t know how they’re going to travel. At the moment our focus is just this game, so we can’t look too far ahead or behind.”England’s recent disciplinary issues, the latest the suspension of Ben Duckett for pouring a drink over the head of Anderson at the same Perth bar where Jonny Bairstow headbutted Cameron Bancroft, were not a source of mirth for Lehmann, who said it was vital that his players did not underestimate the tourists despite the current impression of off-field chaos.Australia batting coach Graeme Hick chats with Pete Handscomb at a training session•Getty Images

“I’ve been through all that, so no, I don’t have a chuckle,” Lehmann said when asked if he had laughed at England’s troubles. “You have those situations at various stages throughout your career. It’s not funny. It’s a case of actually making sure you’re trying the best you can to get your side prepared. For me, I don’t have a chuckle at any of that.”Start from scratch, don’t you, the first ball in Perth. For us we can’t worry about what’s going on outside with England. They’re still a good cricket side and have some dangerous players. For us they’ve got to be really switched on come day one in Perth. Hopefully a crowd’s there and we have a great spectacle over five days.”For us we’re going to have to play some really good cricket again. We’ve done that over the first two Test matches in periods of time and they’ve fought back in periods of time as well. We’ve got to start the game well and get in front of the game is going to be key.”As for the WACA’s last Ashes Test, Lehmann said there would be plenty of nostalgia both inside and outside the dressing room for a venue that first hosted a Test match against England in 1970-71 but is now to be superseded by the new multi-purpose stadium across the Swan River at Burswood. Lehmann has mixed personal memories of the ground, coaching an Ashes win in 2013-14 but also being dismissed there by his brother-in-law, Craig White, in 2002-03.”Not my brother getting me out in an Ashes Test match,” he said when thinking of a favourite memory. “Winning the Ashes a few years ago in Perth. But the best one would be Viv Richards and Dennis Lillee in the Gillette Cup semi-final [in 1976]. It’s on Facebook all the time. I watch it. It was a ripper. You hear all the stories about the pace and bounce and carry. It would have been fantastic to be part of that era.”I’m pretty biased with the Adelaide Oval stadium. But walking past this stadium, it looks bloody good. So I expect it will be a great spectacle when it moves. Hopefully we can send off this ground in the right format with a win.”

Ian Bell has stepped down as captain of Warwickshire in all formats of the game having been dropped from their T20 side

George Dobell19-Aug-2017Ian Bell has stepped down as captain of Warwickshire in all formats of the game having been dropped from their T20 side.Bell, aged 35, has not made a Championship century since the first match of the 2016 season and, in this year’s campaign, is averaging just 24.64. Warwickshire, bottom of the Division One table, are deep in relegation trouble.Jonathan Trott will captain Warwickshire’s Championship side until the end of the season. Grant Elliott has taken over as the T20 captain, with the Bears set to play a NatWest Blast quarter-final against Surrey on Friday.The decision comes after a difficult few months for Bell. Dropped by England in both Tests and ODIs in 2015, it was anticipated that he would plunder county attacks on his return to the domestic game. But the runs have simply not come and, since the start of the 2016 season, he is averaging only 30.02 in first-class cricket.It is understood Bell was highly disappointed with the decision to drop him from the T20 side, although it is not impossible he will be recalled before the season’s end.As part of the deal to bring Adam Hose to Warwickshire this season, it was agreed he would not play against Somerset. With both Somerset and Warwickshire having qualified for the T20 quarter-finals, they could well meet on Finals Day when Bell would be the obvious option to replace Hose.Meanwhile, Warwickshire have made an approach for Durham’s T20 captain Paul Coughlin. Coughlin has developed into a crucial player for Durham but, given their parlous financial state and lowly position in the Division Two table, a further exodus of players from the club is a distinct possibility.

Melbourne Renegades will replace Marlon Samuels with England player Alex Hales after the West Indian was ruled out of the remainder of the Big Bash League due to an eye injury

Alex Malcolm08-Jan-2013The Big Bash League (BBL) Technical Committee has allowed the Melbourne Renegades to replace Marlon Samuels with England batsman Alex Hales, after the West Indian was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to the injury sustained during Sunday night’s fiery clash against the Melbourne Stars.Samuels suffered a suspected fracture of the eye-socket when struck in the face, via a top-edge, while facing Lasith Malinga.The injury brought to an end a turbulent tournament for Samuels. Brisbane Heat coach Darren Lehmann and Adelaide Strikers coach Darren Berry had been charged for breaches of the Code of Behaviour when they publicly questioned the legitimacy of Samuels’ bowling action. Berry got into a heated discussion with Samuels prior to his side’s match with the Renegades, before Samuels became the pantomime villain again against the Stars on Sunday when he embroiled himself in arguments with both David Hussey and Shane Warne, who was later fined and suspended for the incident.Samuels’ absence won’t create a void as his replacement Hales will be available for the Renegades’ remaining games – their last preliminary match against the Sydney Sixers, and the semi-finals.Hales has played 14 Twenty20 internationals for England over the past 18 months. He made 99 from just 68 balls against West Indies in June on his home ground at Trent Bridge. It is one of four international half-centuries he has scored, the latest coming against India during a two-match tour in December.The final round of preliminary matches begins when Melbourne Stars host Sydney Thunder at the MCG. Malinga has also been withdrawn from the Stars’ team as he joins the Sri Lankan squad in preparation for the ODI series, starting on Friday. The Australian ODI squad members David Hussey, Clint McKay and Glenn Maxwell have been allowed to play for the Stars, as well as Usman Khawaja, who will represent the winless Thunder. But should the Stars make the finals, they will lose Hussey, McKay, and Maxwell, and reports suggest an assessment on Malinga’s availability for the semi-final will be made closer to the time should the Stars qualify for the final four.The Stars called up former England allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas as cover for Malinga. Mascarenhas took two wickets in both the semi-final and final of the England domestic T20 tournament last year to help Hampshire win the title. He also represented Hampshire at the Champions League, and played two Twenty20s for Wellington in New Zealand on December 28 and January 1. Mascarenhas must play the Sydney Thunder to be available for selection in the semi-final should the Stars qualify.Meanwhile, Hobart Hurricanes batsman Travis Birt was fined $1000 by Cricket Australia for a Code of Behaviour breach. Birt was initially cited for striking the advertising foam on the rope after he was given out against the Sydney Thunder but was not fined over the incident. Birt was, however, fined for breaching Rule 9: Detrimental Public Comment when he criticised umpires for “ruining games,” on Twitter on December 23.

The Kochi Tuskers Kerala franchise has been issued a suspension notice by the BCCI for non-payment of a bank guarantee, PTI has reported

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2011The Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise has been terminated by the BCCI for breaching its terms of agreement, the new board president N Srinivasan has said after the annual general meeting in Mumbai. The trigger for the decision was the franchise’s inability to furnish a new bank guarantee for 2011. It is understood that the deadline for Kochi to submit the bank guarantee was March 26, 2011. So the BCCI felt it had every right to terminate the contract once the franchise had failed to produce it.”Because of the irremediable breach committed by the Kochi franchise, the BCCI has decided to encash the bank guarantee [for 2010] in its possession and also terminate the franchise,” Srinivasan said. When asked if Kochi had any chance of returning, Srinivasan responded: “No, we have terminated the franchise because the breach is not capable of being remedied.”Under the terms of the franchise agreement, each franchise has to submit a bank guarantee every year that covers the fee payable to the BCCI. “We waited for six months for the fresh bank guarantee to come,” a top BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “They kept saying they will, they will, they will. That had no meaning.”According to the official Shashank Manohar, who stepped down as BCCI president at the AGM, had told Kochi’s owners that in case they needed an extension, they should send a letter signed by all the owners stating they would fulfill their commitments under the franchise agreement or the BCCI could encash the bank guarantee. The franchise had assured Manohar they would send the letter the same evening.”The last president [Manohar] said that that if you want an extension of two to three days or more, you give us a letter signed by all the owners saying that we undertake to pay the guarantee money by such and such a date,” the official said. “And if we fail to do that we have no objection to the bank guarantee to be encashed by the BCCI.”The official said the Kochi owners sent a “simple letter” that did not include all the details Manohar had asked for and so the board took the decision to terminate the franchise. “[These] things do not work. It is even unfair to the other franchises.”According to the official, the BCCI was not worried about Kochi going to court because it was the franchise that had defaulted. As for the players, they are likely to go back into the auction. “And in case the players’ dues are not paid, we would ensure that it is paid from the bank guarantee money we encash.”The chairman of Kochi, Mukesh Patel, however, denied that the franchise owed the board any money. “The BCCI notice is wrong, prima facie,” he told . “We will take legal action against them after our legal team reviews the case in a day or two. Maybe we have to move court. We have never defaulted. The BCCI will be paying us Rs 12 to 15 crore ($2.5 million to $3.13 million) next month as a part of our central revenue.”The franchise’s dispute centres on the BCCI’s decision to reduce the number of IPL games from 94 to 74. “The number of games in Tender Document was 94; they then reduced it to 74 but did not reduce the franchise fees.”The BCCI also appointed Rajiv Shukla as the new IPL chairman, succeeding Chirayu Amin, and said that the league’s governing council would take a decision on whether to have another auction for a new franchise. With Kochi’s termination, the ten-team competition will be reduced to nine.The consortium that owns Kochi is reported to have defaulted on an annual payment of Rs 156 crores as a bank guarantee. In April 2010, the BCCI’s working committee had rejected demands from Kochi and Pune Warriors for a reduction in their franchisee fees. The two new franchises, which made their debuts in 2011, had sought a 25% waiver on the grounds that the BCCI had stated in the bidding document that each team would play 18 league matches in a season. The schedule was later reduced to 14 matches per team.The two teams already paid 75% of this year’s installment and wanted the balance waived. They argued the reduction in matches was a breach of the terms of the Invitation to Tender the BCCI had issued before the two new teams were bought. Since they had based their bid on the number of matches to be played, a reduction should therefore be accompanied by a reduction in the franchise fee. However, the BCCI voted to turn down the request at its meeting in Mumbai in April.In March 2010, the Sahara group had bid $370 million to became owners of the Pune franchise while a consortium of five companies called Rendezvous Sports World offered $333.33 million for Kochi.