DUBAI – It reveals that India is becoming the hub of the internationalbookies spoiling the Game of cricket all around the world. Whenever thereis betting or match fixing in the cricket the Indian hand can never beruled out either directly or indirectly.
The latest to come in the series is The Ajman T20 cricket league playedrecently in UAE.
The ICC’s anti-corruption unit is investigating the Indian bookies andbetting cartels in the Ajman All Star T20 League. Investigators say thatthere is a link between the organisers of the Ajman league and themicro-leagues organised in Jaipur and Kota, which had come under thescanner of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI)anti-corruption unit last year.
A list of ‘persons of interest’ has been shared with the ICC, according toNeeraj Kumar, the BCCI’s anti-corruption chief.
Videos of the Ajman league went viral a fortnight ago after batsmen wereseen throwing their wickets away with needless run-outs or by gettingstumped by not making an effort to get back to safety.
“The ICC has contacted us with regard to an India connection and there arepersons of interest. The list of people (on our radar) who organise suchleagues, which are corrupted, has further swollen up after the Ajmanleague.
The ICC is investigating the India angle. If they want our help to carryout certain investigations, they will let us know. In fact, my own sense isthat in most of the leagues happening abroad the corruptors are fromIndia,” Kumar told The Indian Express on Friday.
The manner of the dismissals during matches of the Ajman league is eerilysimilar to that of the leagues, which have been investigated in India.
Last July, over a dozen people were arrested in overnight raids in Jaipurfor alleged spot-fixing and betting in the Rajputana Premier League.Investigators discovered that the third umpire was one of the pointmen towhom bookies relayed messages.
The third official, via a walkie-talkie, relayed instructions to theon-field umpires, who in turn commanded the players to do as they weretold. Most of the teams comprised club-level cricketers and were puttogether by bookies and middlemen.
There were a few instances seen in the footage of the Rajputana Leaguewhich drew a parallel with the Ajman league. With a team needing 10 runsoff the last over, the bowler, in successive deliveries, splayed the ballso wide that it beat the ’keeper and went to the boundary in the RajputanaLeague.
In another passage of play, a wicketkeeper has the ball in his hands withthe batsman out of the crease but is waiting for instructions on whether ornot he should effect the stumping.
“Something similar was happening in the Ajman league but it was much worse(as compared to Rajputana). Organisers of these micro-leagues haveconnections and there is a cartel of corruptors in India. We know the namesand other particulars of most of them.
Their basic idea is only to make a killing. Bookies are pulling all thestrings and players are like puppets,” the BCCI’s anti-corruption unit’schief said.
Bouncers intimidate players
Once a player is part of one of these leagues, it is not easy to stayclean. If players do not do the bidding of the organisers, then bouncerspositioned near the boundary rope during the match will intimidate themsaying ‘do this or we will fix you later’.
The investigators had embedded some players in various teams of theRajputana League as informers, who relayed minute-to-minute details of howthe alleged spot-fixing was being carried out. The corruption inmicro-leagues had come to light during the Rajwada Premier League held inearly 2017.
According to investigating officers, organisers of these leagues makebetween Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore each for a tournament, which can run forless than a week. Some of those alleged to be connected to the bookiecartel go by assumed names such as Pintu Ponting and Jonty Dhiman.
“This is a new methodology bookies and fixers have come up with. They hosta private T20 tournament, select a venue and arrange to have it telecast.Because if you telecast it, then the bookie community and betting communitygets involved and everyone sitting in a drawing room can bet,” Kumar said.
Since the Jaipur Police, following a tip-off from Kumar’s unit, busted theRajputana tournament, a number of leagues, which have the same modusoperandi, have either shut shop or have postponed their events. One suchleague was the Haryana Champions Trophy that was to be held in August.
T20 cricket tournaments which were scheduled to be held in different partsof West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have also been cancelled. Inthe case of the Haryana Champions Trophy, Kumar had spoken to theorganisers and warned them of possible arrests if the tournament wasconducted.
“This year again, the Rajwada Premier League was to be held. We got atip-off and we alerted the BCCI which sent out a circular that anyregistered player who participates in the tournament will be debarred.State cricket associations were also informed. Now we hear that the leagueis planned for August in Sri Lanka.”