Wadia was arrested earlier this year at an airport in Japanese town Hokkaido for possession of 25gm of cannabis resin. His sentence has been suspended for five years.

As per IPL’s Code of Ethics, no person associated with the team can bring the game into disrepute and there is a clause which can lead to suspension of teams as it happened with CSK and Rajasthan Royals during the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

However, it is still not clear whether the matter will be handed over to the IPL Ethics Committee — comprising three office-bearers (acting President CK Khanna, acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry) — or the newly appointed Ombudsman DK Jain.

“The matter will come up for discussion on May 3 at the COA meeting in Mumbai. It needs to be discussed whether the COA will refer the matter to Justice Jain or the three office-bearers.

“Since we have a retired SC Judge as Ethics Officer, it’s only fair that the matter is referred to him,” a senior BCCI official said.

When asked if Kings XI Punjab can be suspended, the official said: “It’s all in the realms of speculation. The BCCI legal team, Ombudsman all need to come together.” 

There is no clarity on whether Wadia’s sentencing, even if it brings disrepute to the franchise, can actually lead to a team’s suspension.

“The matter is not directly related to IPL. Yes one owner was arrested in a foreign country. Now his image is tarnished.

“If that affects the brand, then action should be taken against the owner and not the brand. In any case, proper procedures will be followed,” said the official.

The Correspondent Bureau with inputs from agencies

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Ness Wadia, heir to the 283-year-old Wadia Group and co-owner of the Kings XI Punjab cricket team, was arrested in early March at New Chitose Airport in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. According to a brief report carried by a local Hokkaido station of state broadcaster NHK, customs officials at New Chitose were alerted to Wadia by sniffer dogs and a search revealed that he had about 25g of what appeared to be cannabis resin in his trouser pocket.

The Wadia empire has many units, which include Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burman Trading, biscuit giant Britannia Industries to budget airline GoAir and a share in IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab with the total market valuation of its listed entities standing at $13.1 billion. A court official in Sapporo told the Financial Times that Wadia admitted to possession, arguing that the drug was for his personal use.

Japan’s narcotics laws are strict and are currently being applied especially tightly. Wadia spent a period in detention before his indictment on March 20 and an undisclosed period of detention before a court hearing. The Sapporo District Court handed him a two-year prison sentence, which was suspended for five years.

The Correspondent Bureau with inputs from agencies

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