The IPL is no stranger to controversy, but on May 16, 2013 it met arguably its biggest crisis when Delhi Police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – soon after their match in Mumbai for spot-fixing. Eleven bookies were also arrested at that time. The arrests kicked off a nation-wide search and arrest of bookmakers (betting is illegal in India). One of those picked up in Mumbai was a small-time actor, Virender “Vindoo” Dara Singh, arrested on charges of links with bookmakers. His testimony led the police to arrest, on May 24, 2013 Meiyappan Gurunath, a top official of Chennai Super Kings and son-in-law of BCCI president N Srinivasan. Delhi Police eventually chargesheeted the players, among 39 persons, under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, while the BCCI handed out life bans to Sreesanth and Chavan after Ravi Sawani”s probe found them guilty of fixing.
Though IPL with its glamour and entertainment value has brought new elements of corruption to the game of cricket, there have been allegations of connections with dirty money in the game of cricket:
Though year 2000 was the first blow to the world of cricket, when the Hansie Cronje case on match fixing came in to picture, allegations of betting and fixing were looming over the game from 1980s when India Vs Pakistan Match took place at Sharjah.
The first blow
April 7, 2000: Delhi police charge Hansie Cronje with fixing South Africa”s ODIs against India in March for money. They also release transcripts of an alleged conversation between Cronje and an Indian businessman, suggested to be a bookie, Sanjay Chawla. April 11, 2000: The South African board sacks Cronje after he calls the board”s managing director, Ali Bacher, at 3am and admits he “had been dishonest” over his activities in India. Cronje acknowledges receiving $10,000 to 15,000 for “providing information and forecast but not match-fixing” during the one-day series in India. Mh Azaruddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Sharma also faced actions for their association with bookies in the same case.
May 2008: West Indies” Marlon Samuels gets two-year ban
Marlon Samuels found guilty by the West Indies board”s disciplinary committee of breaching the ICC”s Code of Conduct relating to “receiving money, or benefit or other reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute” for the February 2007 incident.
November 2011: Pakistan”s trio are found guilty of spot-fixing
Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir are found guilty, at Southwark Crown Court in London, of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lord”s Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.
June 2012: The Kaneria-Westfield case
Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria is handed a life ban by an ECB disciplinary panel, after being found guilty of inducing Essex seamer Mervyn Westfield to under-perform and of bringing the game into disrepute. In January that year, Westfield became the first English cricketer to be convicted of spot-fixing after pleading guilty at London”s central criminal court, to criminal charges arising from a spot-fixing investigation by Essex police.
June 2012: Five banned for corruption in Indian domestic cricket
Five Indian domestic players are banned—Shalabh Srivastava (five years), TP Sudhindra (life ban), Mohnish Mishra (one year), Amit Yadav (one year), Abhinav Bali (one year)—by the BCCI”s disciplinary committee on allegations of corruption. The BCCI announces the penalties after studying a report on the allegations, which had arisen after a sting by an Indian television channel had alluded to the five being involved in match-fixing and negotiating for extra, illegal pay.
March-April 2013: Umpires banned by Bangladesh and Pakistan
On March 18, Nadir Shah, a Bangladesh umpire, is handed a ten-year ban by the Bangladesh Cricket Board following an investigation on charges of corruption alleged by a TV sting operation in 2012. On April 13, another umpire named in the sting operation, Pakistan”s Nadeem Ghauri, is handed a four-year by the Paksitan Cricket Board after its integrity committee finds him guilty of being willing to accept money for favourable umpiring decisions. His colleague Anis Siddiqi is banned for three years. Sri Lanka Cricket is also investigating the allegations of the sting.
May 16, 2013: Three IPL players arrested for fraud, cheating – Delhi Police, BCCI suspends three Rajasthan Royals players
(Compiled from various web-links dedicated to Cricket) ?
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