The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is investigating allegations of spot-fixing in domestic games stemming from a sting operation by a TV news channel.
The BCCI said yesterday it would closely scrutinize the TV footage and would “not tolerate any violation of regulations and any act of corruption.”
The TV sting involved reporters posing as agents of a sports management firm offering players money to perform in a certain way at specific times in matches.
The channel showed T.P. Sudhindra, who plays for the Deccan Chargers in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, allegedly bowling a no-ball in a local Twenty20 game in the central Indian city of Indore for US$1,000.
Pictures captured by a hidden camera appeared to show Sudhindra agreeing to bowl a no-ball with his second delivery of the game. Broadcaster India TV then showed clippings of the game in which Sudhindra bowls a no-ball at the pre-determined time.
Though the video does not show Sudhindra agreeing to fix an IPL game, the channel did play out a purported telephone conversation with Shalabh Srivastava of Kings XI Punjab agreeing to bowl a no-ball in the IPL.
Srivastava, who did not get to play in the IPL this season, denied the allegations.
“This is a false allegation and I will definitely file a case against them [India TV],” Srivastava told the NDTV news channel. “They have video clippings of me in other conversations, but why is it that they don’t have a video of me demanding money for spot-fixing in IPL? Why is that only an audio clipping?”
The BCCI said it would meet to discuss the issue.
“The complete footage of the ‘sting operation’ will be sought and examined thoroughly,” the BCCI said in a statement. “The GC [Governing Council] will meet on an emergent basis to review the footage and take appropriate strict action.”
India TV also showed some players claiming IPL teams lure players by offering them more money than allowed under tournament rules with undeclared transactions.
Pune Warriors player Mohnish Mishra and Kings XI Punjab’s Amit Yadav were shown apparently agreeing to negotiate with other teams in the IPL, which is not allowed under tournament rules.
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