Kerala pacer S. Sreesanth and two other players of the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League team have been arrested by the Delhi Police and charged with spot-fixing in the on-going tournament.
Sreesanth and the others, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, were arrested in a secret swoop at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai, where they were staying, and will be brought to Delhi to be produced in court.
The police have also arrested seven bookies. Police sources said the players have been accused of spot-fixing in different matches this week. They also said that the arrests were part of an investigation conducted over months by the special cell of the Delhi Police into alleged spot-fixing in the cash-rich IPL tournament, the sixth edition of which is being played now.
The Rajasthan Royals franchise, which is co-owned by Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, has said in statement that, "We are completely taken by surprise... We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game." )
30-year-old Sreesanth, a veteran of 53 ODIs and 27 Tests, has been in controversy before over a fight with spinner Harbhajan Singh in the 2008 edition of the IPL.
Chandila, 29, has played for Haryana and the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL previously. Chavan, 27, has played for Mumbai.
Spot fixing is the manipulation of a particular ball or wicket in a cricket tournament, which is then betted upon.
Betting on sports is illegal in India but is allegedly big business in the IPL and is run by underground syndicates in Mumbai and other parts of the country. Sources said bookies often operate out of vehicles now to avoid detection.
Source:http://sports.ndtv.com
Mother, Tharoor stand by Sreesanth, say he is innocent
In what must be a very trying period for her, S Sreesanth's mother, Savitri Devi put up a brave face and said that her son could not have been involved in 'spot-fixing' while alleging that he was caught in the web of a conspiracy. She claimed that her son had been trapped by someone else.
On the other hand, Shashi Tharoor, minister of state for HRD also stood by the temperamental paceman. Echoing sentiments expressed bu Sreesanth's mother, Tharoor said that he believed in Sreesanth's innocence.
A case has been registered at the Marine Drive police station against all three arrested players under charges of IPC sections 420 (for cheating) and 120 (b) (for conspiracy). Chavan and Chandilia were arrested from the team hotel straight after their match with the Mumbai Indians.
Watch vide of spot fixing: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Ankeet Chavan received 60 lakh for giving 14 runs in his second over in yesterday's match. After giving 2 runs in his first over, he gave away 13 runs in his second over.
Another match that the Delhi Police chose to highlight is the match played between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab at Mohali on 9th may 2013. Sreeshant was supposed to put a towel in his trousers before his 2nd spell and give enough time to the bookies to indulge in massive booking. As planned Sreesanth, after bowling the first over without a towel, put on a towel in the 2nd over. To give time he did some warm up exercises.
First incident of spot fixing was spotted in the match between Pune Warriors and Rajasthan Royals, in Jaipur on 5th may 2013. In this match Chandila was supposed to give 14 runs in 2nd over. He forgot to give the pre-planned signal as a result of which bookies could not bet. This led to demands of Chandila having to return the money he had been paid as advance. Video evidence provided from the match clip
.International Cricket Council (ICC) President Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that if fast bowler S.Sreesanth and two other cricketers playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are found guilty he should be banned for life from the game.
Pawar said: "The Indian Premier League has given immense opportunity to new talent to showcase their talent and get noticed. The IPL has also giving ample money to all the players and they should not indulge in such activities. BCCI should get tough in dealing with such incidents, so that players in the future do not commit such activities. They should be suspended. A panel should take this decision after the entire probe is completed and ban these players for life.
The Rajasthan Royals franchise, which is co-owned by Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, has said in statement that, "We are completely taken by surprise... We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game."
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