"Have known Shah Rukh for more than 25 years" - Ness Wadia reacts to reports of a heated argument with KKR co-owner during BCCI-IPL owners meet

Punjab Kings (PBKS) co-owner Ness Wadia has reacted to reports of him being involved in a heated argument with Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan during the meeting between IPL franchise owners and the BCCI on Wednesday, July 31. He clarified that he has known Shah Rukh for over 25 years and that there is no animosity between the two.

The much-awaited meeting between the BCCI and IPL franchise owners took place at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. At the meeting, several crucial issues about the T20 league were discussed, which included mega auctions and the Impact Player rule.

Many media reports claimed that Shah Rukh and Wadia had a fierce debate over the number of retentions that should be allowed per franchise ahead of the mega auction. Speaking to Cricbuzz, Wadia opened up about the exchange and said:

"I have known Shah Rukh for more than 25 years. There is no animosity here. Everyone gave their views, and they had their opinions. At the end of the day, you have to look at all the stakeholders and do what's best for all. That's most important."

The report added that Shah Rukh and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) co-owner Kavya Maran were not in favor of a mega auction, which is set to take place ahead of IPL 2025. Incidentally, KKR are the defending champions in the T20 league, while SRH are the runners-up. As per existing rules, each franchise is allowed to retain four players ahead of a mega auction.

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"It makes the IPL what it is" - DC owner Parth Jindal backs mega auctions

While KKR and SRH were against the mega auction, Delhi Capitals (DC) owner Parth Jindal was in the opposite camp. He expressed surprise at the fact that there was a debate on whether the mega auction should be held or not.

"Some people said that there should not be a mega auction at all. There should be only smaller auctions. I'm not in that camp. I feel that it evens the playing field and it's very good for everyone. It makes the IPL what it is. It makes it competitive. It makes it an even playing field," Jindal was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Incidentally, Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL despite some big players being part of the franchise over the years. They made it to the final in 2020 but went down to Mumbai Indians (MI).