12:20 pm: Author of book on match fixing in cricket says IPL and T20 easier to fix
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Ed Hawkins, the author of ‘Bookie, Gambler, Fixer Spy: A journey into the heart of cricket’s underworld’ explains why it is so much easier to fix T20 and IPL matches :
I think the Twenty20 format is easier to fix. First and foremost, players don’t take it seriously as seriously as Tests or ODIs, even when they are playing for their country. With the franchise teams which has no history, players are kind of parachuting in from all over the world so they have no loyalty to that franchise or their team-mates, who are most often rivals or opponents.12:20 pm: Author of book on match fixing in cricket says IPL and T20 easier to fix
In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Ed Hawkins, the author of ‘Bookie, Gambler, Fixer Spy: A journey into the heart of cricket’s underworld’ explains why it is so much easier to fix T20 and IPL matches :
Click Read more for more updates
I think the Twenty20 format is easier to fix. First and foremost, players don’t take it seriously as seriously as Tests or ODIs, even when they are playing for their country. With the franchise teams which has no history, players are kind of parachuting in from all over the world so they have no loyalty to that franchise or their team-mates, who are most often rivals or opponents.
Read full interview here
12:10 pm: Another confession, this time from Sreesanth
After Ankeet Chavan, now ABP News claims that Sreesanth has admitted to the Delhi Police that Jiju Janardhan had lured him into the betting racket.
He also claimed that the bookies ‘did him in’, Times Now reports.
At this stage however, none of the confessions have any legal value given they are merely quotes from the Delhi Police. Even if he does give a formal confession, it’s very likely to be withdrawn and won’t be used against him. The transcripts will remain a key part of the Delhi police investigations in this case.
12:05 pm: Sreesanth’s lawyer confirms he will seek bail
Lawyer for S Sreesanth, Deepak Prakash has claimed that his client is innocent, and confirmed to CNN-IBN that the player will seek bail during the next hearing.
Given he’s in police custody, Sreesanth can’t seek bail until the police custody ends and he’s transferred to judicial custody. Whether the Delhi Police will let him go that easily remains to be seen.
11: 57 am: Who is Amit Singh, the cricketer turned bookie?
Till last year, Amit Singh was a player with the Rajasthan Royals and his biggest crime was having a suspect bowling action. Today he’s behind bars facing allegations of heading a betting racket.
11:55 am: Six bookies nabbed in Chennai
Times Now reports that six bookies have been nabbed in the raids in Chennai. Whether there is any link with the raids made by the Delhi Police is not known presently.
However, IANS reported that police in Tamil Nadu took into custody four cricket bookies.”We have raided eight-10 places here and have secured four cricket bookies involved in betting. It is not match fixing but betting. The investigation is in a preliminary stage,” an official of Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) told IANS.
11:49 am: ‘I spoke to Sreesanth, he said he is not at fault: Sreesanth’s lawyer tells Times Now. BCCI officials have already said that they will not allow Sreesanth to play cricket at any level.
Meanwhile, Shaun Tait is examining his legal options. The Australian fast bowler’s name initially cropped up but he was then absolved of any involvement. So he is now consulting his lawyers to find out who he can sue.
11.19 am: Ankit Chavan confesses?
Times Now reports that Ankeet Chavan has confessed: ‘Yes, I did something wrong. Yes, I made a mistake,’ he said. The channel also reports that the Delhi police have independent witnesses as well — so they have a pretty strong case.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Police conducting searches in several places in Chennai in connection with alleged IPL fixing and betting.
11.06 am: Times Now reports that the interrogation of Sreesanth, Chandila, Chavan begins. The Delhi Police Special Cell is doing the questioning.
11.02 am: Veteran sports writer Ayaz Memon on why the IPL is not a gambling den.
10.58 am: According to CCN-IBN, Arun Jaitley will head the IPL disciplinary committee that will look into the matter after the investigation is over.
10.50 am: Delhi police booked the players under IPC 420 (cheating) and 120b (conspiracy) because the complaint was first registered by a person who booked the tickets online. Since the person stayed in Delhi, it came under the jurisdiction of the Delhi police. Delhi police are expected to reveal the details of the complaint soon.
10:33 am Another bookie held in Mumbai. His name is Pravin Ambalal Behra alias PD and the police seized 10 cell phones and 1 laptop from him. A cell phone retailer has also been arrested for providing fake sim cards.
10.23 am: Times Now reports that Ajit Chandila may have fixed matches in the previous season of the IPL as well. Chandila’s conversation transcript with the bookie mentions IPL 5 and it also says that the Haryana spinner had promised to get more players on board.
10.17 am: CNN-IBN reports that the three players sold team secrets to bookies as well. They would reveal strategy and other details like who would be part of the playing XI or who would bowl the first over to the bookies before the game began.
CNN-IBN also reported that the bookies made 4-5 times the amount that was being made by the players, who earned anywhere between 40-60 lakhs per match.
10.11 am: How the Delhi Police stumbled upon spot-fixing in the IPL
It all started with a probe into a case related to organised crime when an alert official of Delhi Police’s Special Cell heard an unusual conversation about giving signals at the cricket ground.
This generated some interest in the official who, after informing his seniors, began finding as to who has to give signals and why.
After monitoring a phone call, the investigation had virtually turned pan-India with some of the bookies based in Gujarat and Mumbai.
After stumbling upon the “accidental” call, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which recently had Madan Mohan Oberoi as its Joint Commissioner after completing his tenure with CBI, began monitoring all the phones linked to one call.
09.26 am: According to CNN-IBN sources, after the spot-fixing ivestigation is over, the matter shall be referred to the IPL’s disciplinary committee.
09.19 am: One of the bookies, Amit Singh, played for the Rajasthan Royals till last year and was arrested in Ahmedabad.
Amit, a fast bowler who also represented Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy in the 2012-13 season, was in the Rajasthan Royals’ squad from 2009 to 2012 and played 23 matches during his four-year association with the franchise.
ESPNcricinfo also reported that Amit “was picked up for questioning five days ago but was formally arrested on Thursday in connection with the spot-fixing case that also allegedly involves three current Royals players [Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila]. Singh, 31, has been identified in the first information report (FIR) as ‘Amit Kumar r/o Ahmedabad, Gujarat’.”
09.17 am Cricket Australia Statement on Shaun Tait:
Sean Carroll, the Head of CA’s Anti-corruption Unit, has spoken to Shaun Tait following Delhi Police’s statement last night that Tait is not part of their ongoing IPL investigations.
Shaun reiterated to CA that he had absolutely no involvement in any of the issues that are currently being investigated.
CA is comfortable that Shaun is being appropriately supported in India and reminds those who have been speculating on the ongoing investigations to base their comments on known facts, not unsubstantiated rumour.
09.15 am
Rahul Dravid – Captain, Rajasthan Royals: “I am shocked, disappointed, and distressed by the events that have resulted in the arrests last night and this morning. Rajasthan Royals is a special team, where we have always operated like a family – so this is particularly devastating.
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