IPL says no to Kochi's request for Ganguly: Sources

The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council has decided against allowing unsold players to be picked up by the franchisees, sources said on Friday.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly.

The decision, taken during the IPL governing council meeting on Friday, comes as a jolt to former Indian skipperSourav Ganguly, who had headed Shah Rukh Khan's team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for two seasons.

Ganguly was among the three capped players who had remained unsold during the players' auction held in Bangalore last month. VRV Singh and Wasim Jaffer were the other two players.

Later, the Kochi team had expressed interest in picking up Ganguly.

While the meeting was still underway, sources told Headlines Today that the governing council had turned down Kochi's request to pick up unsold players after some franchisees raised objections.

Sources said as many as three franchises -- Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals had objected to Kochi team's move.