The Bombay High Court has dismissed the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) challenge against arbitral awards totaling over ₹538 crore in favour of the former Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala. The verdict, delivered by Justice R.I. Chagla on Tuesday, marks a major legal defeat for BCCI. The court upheld previous arbitration rulings that had granted ₹384 crore to Kochi Cricket Private Limited (KCPL) for loss of profits and ₹153 crore to Rendezvous Sports World (RSW) for wrongful encashment of a bank guarantee.

The legal dispute dates back to 2011, when BCCI terminated the Kochi franchise after just one IPL season, citing failure to furnish a 10% bank guarantee. KCPL and RSW later argued that the delay was due to unresolved logistical and regulatory issues, and that BCCI had continued accepting payments while discussions were ongoing. The court observed that BCCI had effectively waived the bank guarantee deadline, and the arbitrator’s conclusion that the termination amounted to a repudiatory breach did not warrant judicial interference under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act.

Justice Chagla emphasized the limited scope for intervention under the Arbitration Act, stating that the court could not re-evaluate the evidence or merits of the arbitral decision. He ruled that BCCI’s dissatisfaction with the arbitrator’s reasoning did not constitute valid grounds to overturn the award. With this judgment, BCCI faces a significant financial and reputational setback, while the long-standing legal battle over Kochi Tuskers' termination inches closer to a final resolution.