Rajasthan seek damages from BCCI

Rajasthan Royals are seeking US$30 million in damages from the BCCI to compensate them for their summary expulsion from the IPL last October. The franchise has written to the BCCI and the arbitrator, Justice Srikrishna, who is hearing the case between the two parties, arguing that their unilateral termination, and the court cases that followed, have hurt their reputation and caused a loss of revenue, for which they should be compensated.

"This is all part of the arbitration process," a franchise official told ESPNcricinfo, explaining that Justice Srikrishna had asked Rajasthan what outcome they were seeking from the process, and will now go to the board and ask for a response.

Srikrishna has already issued an interim stay order on the expulsion, allowing Rajasthan to take part in the player auction earlier this month and to compete in the 2011 tournament that begins in April. The BCCI challenged the decision in the Bombay High Court, which upheld the arbitrator's ruling. However, a final decision on the expulsion will only be issued after Srikrishna has completed his review of the case.

The franchise retained Shane Warne and Shane Watson prior to the auction, and also bought former India captain Rahul Dravid, as well as Paul Collingwood and Johan Botha, the England and South Africa T20 captains respectively, at the auction.

Rajasthan's IPL affiliation was terminated by the BCCI on October 10 on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms that threatened to "shake the very foundation of the tender process", as the notice put it. The two sides then decided to settle their dispute over the termination through arbitration on November 15 after Rajasthan had filed a case in the High Court challenging the board's decision to take the step unilaterally.