Despite pressure to take concrete action against Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, the BCCI on Sunday bought time by constituting a working group to study the implications of the verdict of the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Commission. The group has been given six weeks to give its recommendations. This was decided at the Indian Premier League Governing Council which met in Mumbai.

“The IPL Governing Council authorised the Chairman, Rajeev Shukla, to constitute a working group which will study this verdict, in consultation with all our key advisors and explore all the possible measures to be adopted, with an objective to protect the interests of all the stakeholders involved,” the BCCI said in a statement after the meeting.

‘Respect the verdict’ The BCCI said it respects the verdict of the Lodha Commission and will abide by the latter’s decisions but did not indicate on how it plans to move ahead. The Commission has suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL for two years for betting activities by key officials during the 2013 season.

“The members recognised that there is an urgent need to understand the impact of this decision and the wider ramifications for the BCCI in detail, so as to uphold the paramountcy of the game in our country,” the BCCI statement said.

Rajeev Shukla said the members of the newly constituted group would be finalised by Monday.

“We have decided to implement the Justice Lodha verdict in spirit and decided to work accordingly. All stakeholders have given their opinion, everybody is of the view that the show must go on. And I reiterate that IPL 9 will be bigger and greater,” he said after the meeting.

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