IPL 2024: "They have to pay a lot of money" - S Sreesanth sensationally accuses ex-IPL team of not paying fees to players

While it has been more than a decade since Kochi Tuskers Kerala were terminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the franchise are yet to pay most of the players, according to former cricketer S Sreesanth.

The Kochi-based outfit was one of the two new teams added to the IPL for the 2011 season with the now-defunct Pune Warriors India being the other one. Kochi Tuskers Kerala could play just one season in the tournament before being terminated by the BCCI for breaching its terms of agreement. The franchise's journey in the IPL came to an end after its failure to pay a bank guarantee.

Following the termination, the players, who played for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011, were auctioned to other teams in 2012. Several big names at that time were part of the team such as Brendon McCullum, Mahela Jayawardene, Ravindra Jadeja, and S Sreesanth as well.

In a recent interview on 'The Ranveer Show', the former India pacer revealed that the franchise still owes 'a lot of money' to the players.

"They have to pay a lot of money," Sreesanth said before adding: "They still haven't. You should get Muralitharan sir (Muttiah Muralitharan), you should get Mahela (Mahela Jayawardene) and in your show they will only tell you. McCullum was also there, and Jadeja."

S Sreesanth urges Kochi Tuskers Kerala owners to pay the players' fees:

More than a decade after the franchise's termination, S Sreesanth has urged its owners to clear the players' dues. The World Cup winner further said that while no player has spoken about it publicly, they still talk about it whenever they meet.

"Please guys, BCCI has literally paid you, I think. Please pay us...anyway whenever you’re paying, remember the 18% interest every year.

"I feel by the time my kid gets married, we will definitely receive the money (laughs). The team was supposed to be three years, and the team got terminated in the first year. I think no one has spoken about it. Even now when the players meet, they talk about it," he said.

S Sreesanth is not the first player to talk about the non-payment of the players' fees from Kochi Tuskers Kerala. In 2011, former Australia batsman Brad Hodge had also raised the matter. Taking to X (then Twitter), he had tweeted: "Players are still owed 35% of their money earned from ten years ago from the @IPL representing Kochi tuskers. Any chance @BCCI could locate that money?"