What forced justice srikrishna to withdraw as arbitrator

Punjab accuses BCCI of tactics to delay case

What forced justice srikrishna to withdraw as arbitrator

Justice BN Srikrishna's decision to stay the termination of Rajasthan Royals' contract with the Indian Premier League (IPL) caused a furore in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office on Tuesday.

Less than 24 hours after his judgement to reinstate Royals in the IPL, he was forced to withdraw as the arbitrator in the legal battle between Kings XI Punjab and BCCI. "It was my duty to reveal this (that I had represented Wadias in the past). As the BCCI expressed some reservation, I decided to recuse myself," Srikrishna said.

BCCI stance
Manohar told MiD DAY: "We have nothing against him (Justice Srikrishna), we nominated him. We are sticking by advice taken from our lawyers. There's nothing more to it. We will go by the law. If these teams (Punjab and Royals) have to be reinstated in the IPL, so be it."
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It must be noted that Justice Srikrishna made the same disclosure during the Rajasthan Royals vs BCCI hearing last week, though there is no relation between the Royals and the Wadia family.

A furious Punjab official told MiD DAY: "These are tactics to delay the proceedings. Also, to try and block our entry into the players' auction in January.

"The Wadias have a very minor stake in the team. They (BCCI) are scared that things may go in our favour after what has happened with Rajasthan. In fact, our case is much stronger than that of Rajasthan."

Another wait
The Kings XI case will have to wait now, till the courtu00a0 appoints another arbitrator.

Meanwhile, BCCI would be challenging Srikrishna's order staying Royals' termination in the Bombay High Court today.

The IPL Governing Council will meet on December 5 to decide the fate of the Kochi franchise, besides discussing the issue of RR and Punjab. The hazy situation around the IPL will clear after the meeting.