Guwahati PIL dampens BCCI's plans to open IPL in 12 cities

Sun TV Network has emerged as a new IPL franchise owner after outbidding rivals for securing the Hyderabad IPL franchise. However, fresh after the tussle with Deccan Chargers, the BCCI has been slapped with a PIL in the Guwahati High Court and that could spell trouble for the new franchise, reports CNBC-TV18's Ashmit Kumar.

The Maran-backed Sun TV Group has emerged as a clear winner in terms of bagging the rights for the new IPL franchise from Hyderabad. The network put forth a bid of Rs 85.05 crore per year to be paid in the next 10 years which was head-and-shoulders above its closest competitor, PVP Ventures, who presented a bid of Rs 69.03 crore per year. Interestingly, this franchise fee represents a 100-percent premium over the amount that Deccan Chargers had paid for securing the franchise in 2008.
After getting the green signal from the Bombay High Court as well as from the Supreme Court, the BCCI went ahead and invited tenders for teams from 12 new cities.
However, fresh legal tussle appears to be brewing as far as the BCCI is concerned. A PIL has been filed in the Guwahati High Court and the petitioner has questioned why Guwahati was not considered as one of the 12 cities for inviting tenders for a new IPL franchise.
Interestingly, the Guwahati High Court has obliged and has restrained the BCCI from taking any final decisions with respect to the new team. So any further development on the Guwahati High Court will be eagerly observed by the Sun TV Network and the BCCI.