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IPL - Spot-fixing Exposed India TV sting operation
Spot-fixing and underhand financial dealings seem to be rampant in the world's richest, glitziest T20 competition, the Indian Premier League, if a sting operation by India TV is to be believed.
The Board of Control of cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that it will examine the footage of the sting operation and won't tolerate corruption.
The TV channel showed five domestic-level players, representing various IPL franchises, apparently succumbing to the lure of fixing. It showed these players discussing the alleged involvement of IPL captains and even team owners in such activities and engaging in lengthy haggling over the price of bowling a no-ball on demand in the IPL.
In its official press release, the BCCI announced that the entire footage of the 'sting operation' will be sought and examined thoroughly. The IPL Governing Council will also meet on an emergency basis to review the footage and take an appropriate action.
BCCI chief N Srinivasan has said, "We will have to see the tapes. If there is any truth in it, we will act, even if it means suspending the player immediately. But this has to based on some evidence and fact. We will act to show this is not tolerated. IPL, we believe is clean. But if there is a shred of evidence, we will take the strictest possible action."
"We will ensure that the integrity of the game is protected. BCCI believes in the integrity of the game. We will take the strictest possible action. We will have to have the tapes and the moment we see it, whoever is the player, we will take very very strict action."
Spot-fixing is common but the rates differ according to the standard of the game, the player apparently insisted. Sudhindra was also shown as saying that franchisees were gifting players cars and flats since the IPL had capped remunerations for first-class players.
Team Punjab's left-arm pacer Shalabh Shrivastava is another former ICL player apparently caught on camera. He apparently said that franchisees, hampered by the Rs 30 lakh cap on domestic players, were paying some players an additional Rs 70 lakh in black money.
The channel claimed that an IPL player confessed that he was getting Rs.1.45 crore from its owner whereas he was in the Rs 30 lakh slab. It named an IPL player, claiming he had bowled a no-ball in last year's first class match on the insistence of the channel's reporter. He had also assured to change his team in future if he was paid Rs.60 lakh, the channel said.
Another player demanded Rs 10 lakh for bowling a no-ball in an IPL match, it said.
The channel said a pattern has emerged where a particular bowler pitches easy deliveries and there are dropped catches.
Tags -TV sting, Team Punjab, Team Hyderabad, T Sudhindra, spot-fixing, Shalabh Shrivastava, N Srinivasan, IPL team,IPL spot-fixing,IPL 5, IPL,Indian Premier League,India TV, BCCI, Black money, India TV
Mon 14 May, 2012,10:24:35 PM
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