Warne questions move to axe Rajasthan Royals

Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals captain for the first three seasons of the IPL, has questioned the league's governing council's move to scrap his side ahead of the fourth edition. The IPL governing council had ejected the Rajasthan and Punjab franchises on charges of transgression of shareholding and ownership norms, but Warne asked whether there were other reasons behind the expulsion.

"Is it [the ejection] because the franchises have done something wrong or is there something sinister behind it," Warne wrote in his personal blog. "Is there an ulterior motive? To me the IPL must be transparent, open, honest, and, above all, fair to all teams! They need to treat them equally; no teacher's pets!

"All of the owners and investors showed a lot of faith and goodwill in the BCCI from the outset. They trusted them to deliver on the massive predictions that led to the franchises being sold at figures never heard of in cricket. With the IPL exceeding all expectations, on all fronts, I find it staggering that the IPL has decided to throw 2 teams out," Warne wrote.

Warne was also critical of the suggestion that Rajasthan did not have the best interests of the game in mind, citing examples of several of his team-mates who have gone on to represent their countries on the back of IPL success.