The Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) controversy is back in the news, and this time it's even more shocking. The franchise, which played only one IPL season in 2011, is now at the center of a huge money dispute involving legends like Mahela Jayawardene, VVS Laxman, and Ravindra Jadeja.

The Kochi Tuskers Kerala was terminated by the BCCI after just 14 matches due to a missed bank guarantee deadline. Now, more than a decade later, the matter has taken a dramatic turn. Last week, the Bombay High Court ordered the BCCI to pay a massive Rs 538 crore to the now-defunct franchise.

Kochi Tuskers Kerala player payment scandal exposed

Adding to the saga, a new report by Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi has revealed something even more surprising: a hidden truth. The report claimed that many well-known cricketers across the world are still waiting to receive their full payments from the IPL 2011 season.

The Mathrubhumi report suggested that Kochi Tuskers Kerala only paid the first two salary installments to the players. The third installment, which was 35 percent of their total pay, is still pending. Among those affected are some of the biggest names in world cricket.

Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene is reportedly owed more than INR 2 crore. Former New Zealand captain and current England head coach Brendon McCullum's pending dues are close to Rs 75 lakh. Other players like VVS Laxman, Ravindra Jadeja, Steve Smith, S. Sreesanth, and Parthiv Patel are also still waiting for their final installment from the now-defunct franchise.

Mahela Jayawardene, Brendon McCullum, and Ravindra Jadeja still unpaid after 13 years

Thirteen years have passed, but these players have yet to be paid in full for their time with the franchise. The report reads, "Mahela Jayawardene, who captained the Kochi franchise, was the team's most expensive signing at Rs 6.80 crore. It is reported that over Rs 2 crore is still due to him, excluding accumulated interest over the years."

It added, "Brendon McCullum, signed for Rs 2.15 crore, is still owed approximately Rs 75 lakh. Other notable names awaiting payment include VVS Laxman, Parthiv Patel, Steve Smith, and Ravindra Jadeja. Even local Kerala players like S. Sreesanth, Raiphi Vincent, Prasanth Padmanabhan, and Prashanth Parameswaran are among those left unpaid."

Bombay High Court orders BCCI to pay Rs 550 Crore to Kochi Tuskers Kerala

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court has ruled in favor of the Kochi Tuskers Kerala and ordered the BCCI to pay Rs 550 crore. This includes Rs 384 crore to KCPL and Rs 153 crore to Rendezvous Sports.

The now-defunct IPL franchise and BCCI have been battling it out since 2011, when the board terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala's contract after the team failed to pay its annual franchise fee. The franchise, which was bought for a massive Rs 1,550 crore, challenged the decision and won an arbitration in 2015.

The BCCI tried to fight the ruling in court, but the Bombay High Court upheld the arbitration, saying the board had wrongfully used the team's bank guarantee, which broke the contract terms. With this decision, the legal battle finally seems to be coming to an end, and the BCCI must now pay up.

The court order stated, "The jurisdiction of this court under Section 34 of the Arbitration Act is very limited. BCCI's endeavor to delve into the merits of the dispute is in the teeth of the scope of the grounds contained in Section 34 of the Act. BCCI's dissatisfaction as to the findings rendered in respect of the evidence and/or the merits cannot be a ground to assail the award."