The multi-faceted betting scandal of the Karnataka Premier League [KPL] continues to galore headlines. Started in 2008, the KPL was supposed to be a feeder line for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-owned cash-rich T20 franchise tournament- Indian Premier League. But in recent times, it has always garnered headlines for all the wrong reasons.

In the latest development, the International Cricket Council [ICC] and BCCI have reached out to Bengaluru Police, who is currently investigating the case, for their unconditional support in the prob of the multi-layered scam. Back in 2000, after the match-fixing scandal had rocked cricket to its core, the ICC had established the Anti-Corruption and Security unit [ACU] which works with multiple shareholders like member boards, players, support staff, law enforcement agencies, and betting regulators in a bid to nip out corruption from its core.

“The ICC contacted Bengaluru police regarding KPL betting scam, we are in co-operation with each other,” confirmed central Crime Branch Deputy Commissioner of Police Kuldeep Jain said as quoted by The Quint.

BCCI has also extended their support to Bengaluru police

Earlier it was reported that the BCCI will get involved in the whole saga, and now it can be confirmed that the country’s apex-body has contacted the Bengaluru police.  

“BCCI has extended all co-operation, they are also collecting information from us and we are on the same lines against KPL betting scam,” said Jain. Jain said BCCI officials met with the police in Bengaluru for an informal meeting, without identifying the cricket body officials.” Kuldeep Jain added.

BCCI’s Anti-Corruption unit has also written to the city’s police where they promised complete co-operation. The apex-body has also listed Justice D.K. Jain as its Ombudsman. According to Kuldeep Jain, few of the retired cricketers have also come forward in an attempt to nip the betting evil in the bud.

The veteran police officer also alluded that the investigation in the Karnataka Premier League betting scam is an ongoing process. The police are trying to confirm if female escorts or cheerleaders were deployed for honey trapping the cricketers. The betting and spot-fixing scandal have thus far resulted in multiple arrests ranging from cricketers to bookie to an esteemed drummer.

Karnataka Premier League (KPL) match-fixing scandal is turning out to be bigger than it was expected. Criminal Crime Branch has already arrested eight people since July this year. The arrests also include the name of Asif Ali Thara, who is the owner of Belgavi Panthers. Now, its spark has started reaching the international grounds and CCB has summoned Abhimanyu Mithun, also known as Peenya Express for questioning being the captain of Shivamogga Lions.

The 30-year-old cricketer made his debut for Team India back in 2010 and since then, he has played 4 Tests and 5 ODIs. He will also become the first international cricketer to be questioned by CCB in relation to KPL scandal. He is currently in Surat with Karnataka cricket team and is playing in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His side has qualified for the semi-final and will be going to play against Haryana on November 29.

Commissioner of Police confirms the news 

In previous season Mithun was the skipper of Shivamogga Lions in KPL. And, under his captaincy Lions couldn’t win a single game throughout the tournament. Before that, he had featured for a couple of teams like Malnad Gladiators and Bijapur Bulls. However, Sandeep Patil, the commissioner of police, affirmatively said that they have asked Mithun to appear in front of CCB for questioning.

He also recited that they have prepared certain questions for the Indian cricketer related to his games played in the previous season for Shivamogga Lions. “We have prepared some questions for Mithun about his game during the last KPL season. Yes, we have directed Mithun to appear before the CCB for questioning.” Sandeep Patil said as quoted by Times of India while also stating that they have kept BCCI in the loop with Mithun being the international cricketer.

Earlier, CM Gautam, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore player and his former Karnataka teammate Abrar Qazi of Bellary Tuskers were arrested for allegedly accepting money from the bookies for fixing KPL games. Last week, CCB had also sent issued a notice to Karnataka Cricket Association and KPL team managers. They also shared a set of questions and have asked them to come up with proper answers over it.

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With the police investigating the match-fixing scandal of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL), all of its affair – the tournament as well as the auction – have been put on hold. The tournament, which was started in 2009 on the lines of IPL, has been rocked by the match-fixing allegations. The police have already arrested some big names and are still investigating the matter.

Former Karnataka and IPL player CM Gautam has been the biggest name who has been arrested. The wicketkeeper-batsman was a part of his home franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) as well as four-time champions Mumbai Indians. Another high-profile name arrested was Ranji Trophy player Abrar Kazi. Both the players were allegedly involved in spot-fixing during KPL 2019 finals between Hubli and Bellary.

Prior to Gautam and Kazi, cricketer Nishanth Singh Shekhawat was arrested too by the Karnataka police. Shekhawat was accused of fixing a KPL match in the year 2018 between Bangalore and Belgavi team, in which he allegedly played slow and received Rs 5 lakhs for the same. Reports also suggested that he was the link between the bookies and the team members.

KPL will resume only after the investigation is completed

With the police now investigating the matter, Vinay Mruthyunjaya, the treasurer of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), has confirmed that KPL will be on hold for the time being. He made it clear that any activity related to the tournament will take place only after the investigation gets over. He is also hopeful that the police will complete their work in time so that the tournament can take place next year.

“All activities related to KPL will resume only after the investigation is completed and we get the final report from the police. We don’t know how much time it will take for the investigation to be completed. But there is still nine months for the next edition to begin, so hopefully, it will be completed by then,” Vinay Mruthyunjaya told Cricbuzz.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Police’s Central Crime Branch has set up a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case. The SIT has been formed within the Central Crime Branch (CCB) that is investigating the KPL fixing scam.

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The police are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to reach the roots of the match-fixing scandal that has rocked the Karnataka Premier League (KPL). The police has already made a number of high profile arrests as the investigation has opened up the pandora’s box. In the last couple of months, a number of players have been arrested.

Former Karnataka and IPL player CM Gautam has been the biggest name who has been arrested. The player has previously played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Along with him, Ranji Trophy player Abrar Kazi was arrested too. Both the players were found guilty of spot-fixing during KPL 2019 finals between Hubli and Bellary.

Before the two, cricketer Nishanth Singh Shekhawat was arrested too by the Karnataka police in connection with the KPL spot-fixing case. Shekawat was accused of fixing a KPL match in the year 2018 between Bangalore and Belgavi team, in which he allegedly played slow and received Rs 5 lakhs for the same. Reports also suggested that he was the link between the bookies and the team-members.

During the course of the investigation, the police had also arrested Belgavi Panthers team’s owner Ali, Bengaluru Blasters bowling coach Vinu Prasad and batsman Vishwanathan. Ali had allegedly placed bets with a bookie based in Dubai and was in touch with players of other teams during the league.

SIT team formed for more investigation

Bengaluru Police, meanwhile, has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to go deeper into the match-fixing scandal. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao confirmed the news on Wednesday. The SIT has been formed within the Central Crime Branch (CCB) that is investigating the KPL fixing scam. Rao said that while fans flocked the stadium to watch the games but the outcome was already decided.

“Today there are many non-playing cricketers involved than those playing on the field, and it has become a business for them as they travel to Dubai, West Indies and other foreign countries and stay at five-star hotels. They have also indulged in blackmailing of players through honey trap. The game has become insignificant and the activities of these betters have only increased,” he was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

Rao also came down hard on the authorities for their failure to deal with the matter. Rao said that regulatory bodies of the game like BCCI and KSCA have remained mute spectators despite knowing everything.

“We have issued notices to all teams asking for videos, scoresheet, details of the managers and others. I have formed a small SIT (Special Investigation Team) within the CCB to go deep into this. Let’s see where it goes,” he added.

The match-fixing scandal related to Karnataka Premier League (KPL) is wider than it was expected. Earlier, Vinu Prasad, the bowling coach of Bengaluru Blasters and M Vishwanathan, the wicketkeeper of Hubli Tigers were arrested for their alleged involvement in the illegal activities during the 2018 season of the league. However, a senior police officer has opened up with some strange revelations that could bring the BCCI vigilance team into the picture.

CCB (Central Crime Branch) is doing the investigation on red-alert and have arrested a total of eight suspects, who are expected to have some connections with the match-fixing and betting, including the owner of Belgavi Panther’s Ali Ashfaq Thara.

Police officials recite that the KPL match-fixing scandal will soon get unfolded

Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao said that he cannot reveal as the investigation is still not completed. But, he gave a nod to the fact that some KPL players were taken to Dubai and Mauritius and were given expensive gifts. In all this activity, a pace bowler from the neighboring country is expected to have an involvement.

And, also some players denied doing match-fixing, however, they were blackmailed. He also wants the cricketers should come forward if they were approached for it, and gave an assurance that their details will be kept confidential.

“I cannot reveal everything at this stage since the investigation is in progress. Among the KPL players who were honey-trapped and blackmailed, some refused to budge to the bookies’ demands. But I can confirm that some KPL players were taken to places like Dubai and Mauritius. They were given expensive gifts. If any player who was blackmailed in this manner approaches police, we will keep their names and other details confidential,” Bhaskar Rao said as quoted by Times of India.

Another senior police officer wanted to know that if the BCCI vigilance team was aware of any unnatural developments during the important matches of the KPL in previous seasons.”BCCI has a vigilance team of its own and we want to know whether the team was aware of a few unnatural developments during important matches in the past two KPL seasons,” a senior police officer said.

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The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) continues to galore all the forgettable headlines in the past few weeks.  Following the arrest of high-profile cricketers like wicketkeeper-batsman CM Gautam and Mizoram skipper Abrar Kazi, if the reports are to be believed, an international bookie was arrested by the police on Sunday in connection to fixing scandal.

According to a report published in Sportscafe, the police have now caught hold of an International bookie, Sayyam. Sayyam had reportedly approached celebrity drummer Bhavesh Bafna to fix games in the Karnataka Premier League. According to the report, the police had issued a look-out circular for Sayyam after the bookie, who hails from Haryana, had fled to the West Indies. As soon as the bookie landed back in India, the police duly arrested him. 

According to the police, it was after Sayyam had approached  Bafna, that the star-drummer approached to bribe Bellary Tuskers bowler Bhavesh Gulecha. During the game, Gulecha was asked by Bafna to concede more than ten runs in an over, before the bowler declined and proceeded to launch a complaint with the police; one that led to the arrest of Bafna and the eventual lookout circular for the International bookie.

Sayyam joins the list of series of arrests in the KPL spot-fixing scandal

Earlier, it was reported that the BCCI was preparing to conduct its own inquiry into the KPL spot-fixing scandal. Ajit Singh, head of the BCCI ACU, will apprise the BCCI president on the entire issue.

“There are two points here. When the Bangalore police file its charge sheet, its investigation will be complete. We’ll take a copy of that charge-sheet. Secondly, there are some people against whom we have also launched our inquiry. We’re taking their statements and giving them the opportunity to defend themselves. After that, we’ll propose the necessary action to the Board,” Singh had told The Times of India on Friday.

However, on being asked whether the ACU will act against the bookies, Singh had made it clear that they can’t but if they find something, they’ll pass it to the local authorities.

“They’re ‘participants.’ It’s a wide definition, which includes, players and support staff, or anyone. However, we can’t give you the names until we complete the inquiry. We’re in touch with the police. If we’ve something, we pass it on to them because they’ve got the legal authority to take care of a much wider spectrum.

We can only take action against the ‘participants,’ but they can do that against the others, like the bookies, too. We can’t act against the bookies,” he said. Sayyam’s arrest joins a long list of arrests made by the police in the KPL spot-fixing scandal, which include Ali Ashfaq- the owner of Belagavi Panthers- Cricketers CM Gautam and Abrar Qazi.

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Karnataka Premier League (KPL) is turning out to be one of the biggest corruption cases in the game of cricket of late. Till date, Central Crime Branch has arrested 6 recipients, including four players, one coach, and one franchise, who are expected to be involved in the scandal. And, now on the conditions of anonymity, quite a few players have come up with some strange revelations related to the KPL match-fixing.

On Thursday, Indian domestic cricketers CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi were arrested by CCB as they were accused of spot-fixing in the KPL 2019 final that was played between Bellary Tuskers and Hubli Tigers.

KPL players reveal strange things related to KPL match-fixing scandal

A player said that when bookies know the guys that will simply not fix the matches than they become extremely careful. He also recalled an incident when a player came to him and told that he was offered an iPhone in order to meet someone. And, also there was one coach with a bag full of iPhones for the players.

“When they know some guys simply won’t do it (fix), they are extremely careful around us. When you are not around, it becomes free for all. A player came up to me to say he was offered an iPhone just to meet someone. There is one coach who was carrying a bag full of iPhones to be distributed among players,” the anonymous player said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

The second player recited that the captain of his team was clean and aware of the things going on in the team. So, he decided to announce the playing XI in the team huddle after the communication devices were taken away. “The problem is when the rot is top-down, players are reluctant to report. Even if you don’t want to do what they ask you to, reporting it when coaches and owners of your team are involved is not easy.

“My captain, who was clean, figured out how wrong things were within the team and began announcing the playing eleven in the team huddle after the communication devices were taken away,” the player said.

Another player explained an incident that had happened during the live match when the skipper of his team was waiting for the instruction before the toss. “It’s happened in a real match situation where the captain was waiting for instructions on whether to bat or bowl before going for the toss,” he added.

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The Karnataka Premier League [KPL] match-fixing scandal has once proceeded to bring shame to Indian cricket. With the arrest of high-profile domestic cricketers like wicketkeeper-batsman CM Gautham and captain of the Mizoram domestic cricket team, Abrar Kazi, the BCCI has decided to conduct its own investigation into the controversy.

According to a report published in the Times of India, Ajit Singh- the Head of the Anti-Corruption Unit of the BCCI- will apprise former Indian captain and the current president of apex cricketing body of the country, Sourav Ganguly, on the entire issue that has engulfed the domestic T20 tournament.

“There are two points here. When the Bangalore police files its charge sheet, its investigation will be complete. We’ll take a copy of that chargesheet. Secondly, there are some people against whom we have also launched our inquiry. We’re taking their statements and giving them the opportunity to defend themselves. After that, we’ll propose the necessary action to the Board,” Singh told The Times of India on Friday

‘We can’t act against the bookies’ – BCCI ACU Chief

On being asked whether the inquiry revolves around the tainted cricketers, Ajit Singh refuses to divulge into the details but admitted it was regarding the spot-foxing in the Karnataka Premier League

“They’re ‘participants.’ It’s a wide definition, which includes, players and support staff, or anyone. However, we can’t give you the names until we complete the inquiry. We’re in touch with the police. If we’ve something, we pass it on to them because they’ve the legal authority to take care of a much wider spectrum. We can only take action against the ‘participants,’ but they can do that against the others, like the bookies, too. We can’t act against the bookies,” he said.

With the menace of spot-fixing once again talking centerstage, Ajit Singh is worried that the news will have far-reaching consequences but also hopes that the next season of the KPL will be cleaner than what it was.

“I feel that after the action that has been taken, the impact will be far-reaching. Maybe, the next edition of KPL will be cleaner than what it was,” he hoped.

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Karnataka Premier League – KPL franchise- Belagavi Panthers has been grabbing the headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent times. After being involved in the spot-fixing scandal, Belagavi Panthers have found themselves in more trouble with the recent statement issued by the KSCA.

Karnataka Cricket Association on Thursday announced its decision of suspending the Belagavi Panthers franchise. The KSCA has also stated that any players, match officials or umpires who have been arrested in connection with the incident based on the first impression will be suspended with immediate effect. Severe actions would be taken against each individual if they are found guilty.

The State Association Association has issued a statement regarding the incident which states, “Based on the initial investigation report, the KSCA has suspended the owners of the franchise – Belagavi Panthers, one of the franchises of the Karnataka Premier League (KPL). In case they are found guilty, their franchise will be terminated,” stated KSCA according to the media release.

Six people have been arrested in KPL fixing scandal

So far six people have been arrested over the scandal that came under the limelight with the arrest of Ali Ashfaq Thara recently. Belagavi Panthers’ owner Ali Ashfaq is among the six people who have already been arrested in connection with the spot-fixing scandal.

Two prominent first-class cricketers– CM Gautam and his Karnataka teammate Abrar Qazi are also among the people who have been arrested. As per reports, the duo accepted money to underperform in Karnataka Premier League matches in the previous season.

The State Association has also affirmed that it has been extending all possible cooperations to the investigating police in unearthing any such incidents. All possible efforts have been made to take stern actions against all individuals who been involved in corrupt practices. KSCA further clarified the fact that they cannot accept any illegal activities such as betting and match-fixing.

Betting and match-fixing have always been an inseparable part of the game for many years. In recent times, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was banned for two years by the ICC for breaching Anti Corruption Code. Shakib accepted three charges of failing to disclose approaches to engage in corrupt conduct, all of which took place in 2018. The 32-year-old has to serve the ban for two years, including one year of suspension, for failing to report approaches by suspected Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal to the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) match-fixing scandal is getting messier with each passing day. The police has been investigating the case ever since it got the trace of fixing and so far it has made a number of arrests. In the most recent development, the Central Crime Branch Bangalore have arrested two top domestic cricketers — CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi — for their alleged involvement in the scandal.

Both the players plied their trade for Bellary Tuskers in the KPL. Gautam, who shifted his base to Goa from Karnataka this season, led the team. Gautam has also played in the high-profile Indian Premier League. He has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils. On the other hand, Kazi is also an experienced domestic cricketer and currently plays for Mizoram.

Both of them were also named in their state squads for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 which begins this week. Both of them are now looking set to be dropped from their respective state teams. According to Sportstar, both Gautam and Kazi received Rs 20 lakhs for batting slowly in the final between Hubli and Bellary. The report claimed that police is likely to arrest even more culprits. The website also claimed that Kazi was with his Mizoram teammates and recently left them to visit Bengaluru.

“We have no clue about the arrest. We are waiting to hear from the police or the association,” a team source said.

Earlier arrests in KPL fixing scandal

CM Gautam and Kazi are not the only individuals who have been arrested for being involved in the match-fixing scandal. Earlier this week, the police had arrested Bengaluru Blasters player Nishant Singh Shekhawat. Shekhawat has been accused of introducing the players and other members of the team to the bookie.

Earlier, the police had also arrested the bowling coach of the Bengaluru Blasters team Vinu Prasad and a batsman M Vishwanathan on account of cheating and conspiracy. According to reports, both Prasad and Vishwanathan were introduced to the bookie by Nishant. In September, the owner of a Karnataka Premier League team Belagavi Panthers Ashfaq Ali Thara was also arrested in connection with an alleged cricket betting scandal.

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