Indian Premier League expels two teams in ownership row

Two teams have been thrown out of cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL) for breaching ownership rules.

Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have both had their franchises terminated by the governing Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Both teams took part in the first three editions of the Twenty20 tournament but the BCCI have given no further details regarding the breaches.

The BCCI also warned the new Kochi team to resolve their ownership dispute.

The cash-rich tournament holds auctions each year to recruit top players from around the world.

Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural tournament in 2008, captained by Australian legend Shane Warne, who said the news about the team's future was "shattering".

The Punjab team, which had been bought for $76m (£47m) in 2008, included Sri Lankan stars Kumar Sangakkara and Machela Jayawardene, Australian pace bowler Brett Lee and India's Yuvraj Singh.

In a statement, BCCI said: "It was unanimously decided that franchise agreements with Punjab and Rajasthan be terminated forthwith based on legal opinions obtained by the BCCI in the matters."

Kochi are one of two new franchises being added to the competition in 2011, Pune being the other.

"It was further unanimously decided to issue a notice to Kochi calling upon them to resolve all their disputes and form a joint venture company which will hold the IPL franchise rights," the statement added.

The ownership issues came to light while the BCCI were investigating financial irregularities by former IPL chief Lalit Modi, who was removed from involvement in Indian cricket in September 2010 following corruption allegations.

He said the BCCI's actions showed "total disregard for franchisees" and that they had "lost the ability to administer sensibly."

One of the co-owners of the Royals, Raj Kundra, said the BCCI's actions had put the future of the whole competition in doubt.

"I don't see IPL 4 happening if the BCCI treats other teams like this," he said.

"The termination of the contract by BCCI is shocking. We are seriously thinking of a legal action. We need to see a copy of the termination notice and study it."