New Delhi, April 10: The spectre of corruption reared its ugly head yet again in the IPL with a Rajasthan Royals player reporting an approach for spot-fixing last month, clearly showing that attempts to fix matches are still being made in the controversy-ridden Twenty20 event.
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur confirmed that a cricketer was indeed approached. The player’s action showed that the board’s efforts to educate players on the perils of spot-fixing are paying off, he said.
“A player was approached and he immediately intimated @BCCI anti corruption unit. Glad that BCCI education policy is showing positive results,” Thakur tweeted Friday. “Players are alert & they know what is to be done due to our regular education efforts,” his post added.
Thakur did not reveal the identity of the Mumbai-based player. However, Rajasthan Royals have five cricketers from Mumbai. They are Ajinkya Rahane, Pravin Tambe, Dinesh Salunkhe, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar. Of the five, Rahane and Kulkarni were in Australia at the time of the approach.
Sources indicated that it was leg-spinner Tambe who was approached and he reported the matter to the team management, who informed the BCCI anti-corruption unit.
Rajasthan Royals, which was at the centre of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, confirmed the development. “A player from Rajasthan Royals was approached inappropriately by a player (who is not part of the IPL) in connection with the Indian Premier League 2015 matches,” RR CEO Raghu Iyer said. “Maintaining high standards of integrity, the player informed the Rajasthan Royals management of this approach,” he said. PTI
