NEW DELHI, Oct 25: The Sun TV Network, a south India-based mass media company, has paid $15.9 million to win the bid for the Hyderabad franchise in the Indian Premier League.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Chennai-based Maran group as the new franchise owner on Thursday.

“The IPL Governing Council met earlier today in Mumbai to open the bids for a new IPL franchise,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“Sun TV network have won the Hyderabad franchise for an amount of 850.50 million rupees ($15.9 million) per year.”

Sun TV, one of India’s biggest media networks with 32 television and 45 radio channels in different languages, replaced Deccan ChronicleHoldings Limited, which ran the team as the Deccan Chargers, and was dropped this month for not paying players’ dues and an inability to sell the team.

It was not known whether Sun TV will retain the team’s previous name of the Deccan Chargers.

The Chargers’ demise reduced the number of teams to eight but the BCCI invited bids to ensure the IPL remained a nine-team competition.

The BCCI-run IPL has become used to dealing with troublesome franchises. The Kochi Tuskers were scrapped last year for failing to make their annual payment after just one year in the league, but no replacement was found, which reduced the IPL to nine teams.

Pune Warriors, which was added two years ago along with Kochi to the original eight teams, announced this year it was withdrawing from the IPL before it reached a compromise with the BCCI.—Agencies