IPL governing council postpones decision on Kochi replacement

The IPL governing council committee has postponed the decision on whether there will be a new franchise auction to replace the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala to its next meeting. The council also chose not to consider the issue of allowing Pakistan players in the 2012 tournament.

The newly-formed committee met for the first time in Hyderabad on the sidelines of the first ODI between England and India and was expected to discuss whether or not to replace the terminated Kochi franchise, the format of the next season, and the participation of Pakistan players. However Rajiv Shukla, the new chairman of the committee, said that no decisions were taken on the subject of Kochi as they were waiting for more details. "We will have another meeting shortly on the subject [of Kochi]," he said. "However, the players' interests will be protected."

Earlier this month Shukla had said the issue of allowing Pakistan players would be discussed at today's meeting, but subsequently told the media that "it was not listed in the agenda today and hence there was no question of discussing the issue about Pakistani players' participation. We will have another meeting soon to discuss this and many other issues also."

A statement issued by the BCCI said that the governing council had asked the IPL management team "to come back with options for the format and structure for the 2012 season of the tournament." IPL management has been meeting with the remaining nine franchises on an individual basis to solicit their views on the structure of the event and are considering going back to the original home-and-away format for next season.

According to the statement, the governing council also approved various operational items for the forthcoming IPL season and that the "player regulation and trading modalities will be discussed at the next meeting of the GC."

What the committee did confirm was that the 2012 IPL will begin in Chennai on April 4, with the final to be held on May 27.