The Kerala High Court has dismissed a PIL filed for requesting a change of IPL, citing that BCCI was 'illegally using the name'. The IPL 2026 will mark its 19th season when it kicks off on March 28 in Bengaluru. The court dismissed the claim suggesting that it found no merit in the case, saving BCCI some legal trouble.
“We find no merit in the substance of the said argument, and hence, we do not feel that it would be proper to keep this writ petition as a public interest litigation (PIL),” the judges said.
Ashique from Ernakulam, claiming to be a public-spirited individual, filed a petition questioning the use of the name “IPL,” a franchise-based Twenty20 cricket tournament conducted by the BCCI.
He argued that although the tournament has been held for many years, he only recently came to understand that it is not an official national cricket tournament.
The IPL was launched in 2008 and will start its 19th season on Saturday, March 28. Defending champions RCB will face off against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Given the elections, BCCI have only released the schedule for the first 20 matches of the season. An updated schedule is expected in the coming days.
