Two new teams to replace CSK and RR?

Having two new teams for the next two editions of Indian Premier League, in place of suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, was among the two proposals put forward by the IPL Governing Council at its meeting, in Kolkata, on Thursday.

"One suggestion is to have two new teams only for two years and replace them with Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in 2018 when they come back," an IPL Governing Council member said.

"The second suggestion is to make it 10 teams from 2018 onwards once the two suspended franchises complete their sentence," he added.

The IPL governing council met in Kolkata to discuss the recommendations in the Justice Lodha Committee's report on the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal.

The proposals will be put forward to the Working Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India which meets in Kolkata on Friday.

The BCCI's last working committee meeting before the Annual General Meeting, due in September, will be held in Kolkata on Friday and the IPL Governing Council's proposals are 12th in the list of agenda which will deal with various cricketing matters, including deliberating on the affiliation issues to Bihar and Uttarakhand.

Former India captain and IPL GC member Sourav Ganguly said the Governing Council only made the proposals and it's the BCCI Working Committee that will take decisions.

"The recommendations were given at the GC and the Working Committee will take a decision. It's all confidential and chairman Rajiv Shukla will brief the media tomorrow," Ganguly said after the meeting without divulging anything.

Earlier in the day, the Madras high court directed the BCCI to file its response on the merits and maintainability of a petition filed by Chennai Super Kings challenging the Justice Lodha Committee's order suspending it from the Indian Premier League over the 2013 betting scam.

First bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice TS Sivagnanam, directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India to file its counter affidavit within two weeks.

In its petition, city-based Indian Cements Ltd, owner of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has also sought a stay on the Lodha committee's order last month suspending it.