Chennai Super Kings Official Says 'Suspension Was Always a Possibility'
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have been suspended for two years. A CSK official says all options are still open and the management may or may not take legal recourse.
A senior Chennai Super Kings official on Tuesday said that the franchise was not expecting to go "scot-free", after the most successful IPL side was suspended for two years for betting activities of their former Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan. (What's next for CSK and RR? BCCI mull options)
"I have not seen the Supreme Court order. When we see the order, we have to check with our legal council what course of action we should take. We may not take any legal recourse also. Super Kings are only suspended. We can come back after two years. We have not been terminated," a senior official in know of things told PTI after a Supreme Court-appointed panel suspended CSK and RR for two years besides suspending Meiyappan for life. (BCCI's full statement)
Did the franchise expect this verdict?
"See these things are very speculative and I can't answer that. This (IPL case) is something that has been going on for sometime now. We were not expecting to go scot-free, that everybody knows. The suspension is something we thought that might happen, we never said that it won't happen," the official said while refusing to say anything on the quantum of the punishment.
Asked about the image of CSK being hit post the verdict, the official replied: "That is right (image has taken a hit) but anyhow we will have to find out how best we can comeback."
On the change of ownership, he said it was too early to comment.
"The verdict has only come out today and you are talking about selling shares. It does not work like that," he said.
"Why should we (sell the shares)?" he counter questioned.
"If we have to comeback after two years, we will comeback after two years," the official added.