When the auction for expanding the original eight IPL franchises to ten was first held, one of the two successful bidders were Rendezvous Sports World, who elected to base its new team in Kochi.
However, the new franchise invited controversy almost from the outset. The original proposed name of the new team was Indi Commandos, which would have made it the first IPL franchise to not have a geopolitical unit in its name. This led to a heavily adverse reaction on social media, especially from the Kerala community and in the wider diaspora.
The new owners then further upset their nascent supporter base by proposing that the team should move its base to Ahmedabad. This was suggested in order to avoid the high-entertainment tax in Kerala.
In the midst of the subsequent uproar, the owners were forced to back down on their plans. Just adding the word Kerala to their name did not silence the critics. They conducted a poll on their website, with Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK) emerging as the clear winner.
Meanwhile, the decision to move base was abandoned when the Corporation of Cochin agreed to waive half the entertainment tax due.
The franchise only lasted for one season, finishing eighth out of the top ten teams. Due to a dispute among the team owners, Kochi failed to pay the 10% bank guarantee which was meant to be paid before the 2011 season even began.
When the BCCI claimed to have sent several requests for payment that went unanswered, Kochi had their licence terminated. The players were auctioned to other franchises in the 2012 auction. Those who attracted no bids had their salaries covered by the bank guarantee from the previous owners.
In 2012, Rendezvous Sports World announced that it was taking the BCCI to court over its IPL termination. Six years later, the Supreme Court ordered the BCCI to compensate Kochi to the sum of INR 550 crore with 18% interest. Kochi did leave their mark on the IPL despite the short tenure.