Cricket: Fleming's IPL future in flux

Stephen Fleming and Steve Rixon could soon be looking for new jobs in the IPL. Photo / Getty

Stephen Fleming accepts he could soon be out of a job at the Chennai Super Kings.

The Twenty20 cricket franchise, along with their Rajasthan Royals counterparts, were banned from the Indian Premier League for two years in July by a Supreme Court-appointed panel.

In 2013, police launched legal proceedings against several officials from the teams and three Rajasthan players for illegal betting and spot-fixing. In Chennai's case, owner Gurunath Meiyappan was found guilty of betting on IPL games.

The decision to ban the franchises came as a general shock. Heavy fines had been expected.

Bids from the cities of Pune and Rajkot won the auction to replace them, ensuring an eight-team competition remains.

However, the Super Kings launched a final appeal, known in India as a PIL - public interest litigation - via local politician Subramanian Swamy.

Swamy wanted the Madras High Court to hear the appeal earlier this month but it is fixed, so to speak, for December 14 and 15. Torrential rain and flooding means Chennai has ground to a halt in the interim.

The PIL petition is expected to raise concerns over the legitimacy of the process in previous courts which delivered the suspension.

"It's pretty unsettling at the moment," Fleming said of the franchise he has taken to two IPL and two Champions League titles. "We're waiting on the result of the High Court appeal, and that will determine the immediate future of the coaching staff.

"However, the players can be re-bought and, if the appeal is not successful, we will have the ability to get them back in a couple of years and start again."

Fleming is currently coaching the Melbourne Stars in Australia's Big Bash which starts next week. He has not ruled out staying with the franchise. In the meantime, if the ban is upheld, he will become a free IPL agent, as will his Australian assistants Andy Bichel and Steve Rixon.

The New Zealand players involved - Brendon McCullum and Matt Henry (Super Kings), Tim Southee (Royals) - could be selected among the 10 players (five per team) to be picked by the new franchises in a special December 15 auction. Otherwise they will go into the annual auction set down for February 6.

McCullum told the Herald one of his test players had made him aware of the news yesterday, but he had no idea how the scenario would unfold.