We've always conducted ourselves transparently: Royals

The management of Rajasthan Royals team, which has been scrapped by the BCCI due to the breach of agreement, has issued a statement where they have intended to take legal recourse to protect their investment but also said that forcing someone to opt the legal route is a shame for those who want to invest in sport in India.

The management is also upset that the decision to de-franchise them was taken without issuing a proper show cause notice.

The statement issued by the franchise stated: "Rajasthan Royals are shocked and surprised by the termination notice issued today, particularly without issuance of the show cause notice described to the media ten days ago, which was never received. Naturally we will need some time to review the termination notice sent today, such that we can provide a considered response."

The management also claimed that they have conducted themselves in a transparent manner.

"We have always conducted ourselves transparently in accordance with our contract terms and only desire fair and unbiased treatment from the BCCI. If the only way to achieve this is through legal recourse, then that is a shame for those that seek to invest in sport in India."

"We are proud of the role that we have played in building the IPL into one of the most successful sporting events in history, and we intend to protect our investment and our brand -- especially for the millions of fans that we have across the world."

Preity Zinta 'shocked' at BCCI decision

The management of the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday reacted sharply, terming BCCI's decision to terminate the contract of Mohali franchise "unfair" while co-owner and Bollywood actress Preity Zinta said she was "shocked" at the development.

"KXIP strongly believes that this decision is unfair and not in the collaborative spirit which the IPL has operated in," KXIP said in a statement.

Shocked!, this was Zinta's reaction on the Mohali franchise's termination from the IPL "for violation of the franchise agreement."

"Still absorbing the news. After working so hard in the IPL and putting my everything building this team dis (this) is not what I expected! Shocked!," Zinta tweeted.

Zinta thanked fans for their support. "I know there is god up there and he is looking out for me," she said to her fans who wrote messages offering support to her.

The BCCI on Sunday unanimously decided to "terminate" the franchise agreements of KXIP and Rajasthan Royals, while sparing the newly-inducted Kochi.

The Kochi franchisee has been asked to resolve their internal disputes within 10 days.

"Kings XI hopes that the BCCI will engage in a productive dialogue to resolve all misunderstandings," its statement further said.

The Mohali-based franchise said it was "surprised and saddened by the BCCI's action."

"KXIP has been a loyal franchise since the inception of the IPL, at a time when there was no guarantee or visibility of the leagues' success," it said.

The franchise said it had received the formal communication from the BCCI which is now being studied by its legal team.

"We look forward to presenting the facts and answering any misunderstandings that the BCCI may have," it said.

"In the recent past, KXIP has fully co-operated with all Government and regulatory authorities as well as the BCCI in assisting them with their questions. KXIP reiterates that the company has followed all terms and conditions and has not violated any agreement," the KXIP further maintained.

Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab has been in the thick of controversies in recent times.

Earlier in April, the owners of KXIP had been slapped with notices by central and state excise departments asking them to pay over Rs 5 crore as service tax for IPL's 2008 edition and to furnish details of proceeds from ticket sales this year.

In July, a lower court here had issued bailable warrant against Zinta and two co-owners for allegedly not filing its balance sheet and annual returns, but the order had been later stayed by the Punjab and Haryana high court.

A local court had earlier issued bailable warrants against franchise co-owners Zinta, Ness Wadia and Mohit Burman for failing to appear before it on a complaint filed by the Registrar of Companies (RoC) accusing them of not filing its balance sheets and annual returns.

Earlier this year, speculation had been rife that the dashing left-hander Yuvraj Singh was keen to leave the KXIP though he had later denied such reports.

The Punjab player had been replaced as captain of KXIP by Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara. The team also failed to put impressive performance in successive editions after making it to the semi-finals in the IPL's first edition.