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The premier league of quick fix
Cricket lovers shout slogans against the three IPL players who were allegedly involved in spot-fixing, demanding a ban on IPL matches, in Bengaluru on Thursday. — PTI |
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Sreesanth alleges frame-up Cricket fans raise slogans against the three IPL players arrested for spot-fixing in Bangalore on Thursday. — PTI Fixing unravelled after top Mumbai bookies’ arrest Chandila met bookies in Gurgaon mall From 5-star rooms to dingy lockup Dead Delhi cop was part of betting probe
The ugly underbelly of IPL surfaces yet again
Fans think IPL is just tamasha
Corruption was likely as cricketers ignored warnings
Their captain Dravid is ‘devastated’
Kings beat DD, keep hope alive
Disciplined New Zealand make England toil
Ivanovic wins Europa League for Chelsea
Captain Frank Lampart with the trophy, while Branislav Ivanovic sits atop the goalpost to celebrate. — Reuters
Anand beats Radjabov, rises up to joint 3rd
Sharath advances to 2nd round
Djokovic enters quarterfinals
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The premier league of quick fix
New Delhi, May 16
“The BCCI has zero tolerance to corruption. We will offer all co-operation to the Delhi Police and all other authorities in their investigations in this matter. The IPL Governing Council has met and decided that the cricketers found involved will be dealt with severely,” a statement issued by BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said. He said the three accused players — Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila — stand suspended pending enquiry. “All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty,” stated Jagdale. “The BCCI engages the services of the anti-corruption wing of the ICC to educate and monitor players and support staff in prevention of corruption of any form in the game. In fact, it is wholly unfortunate that despite such education, best playing conditions and terms of engagements offered, some players seem to be indulging in such activity,” added Jagdale. The Rajasthan Royals team management, in a brief statement, said they were “completely taken by surprise” about the news that three of their players had been called in for investigation on spot-fixing in matches. “We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything. We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management of Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game,” the statement added. Meanwhile, Sreesanth’s parents have blamed Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh for “trapping” their son. They said Sreesanth has been made a victim of a larger conspiracy and a scapegoat. Sreesanth’s father Santhakumaran Nair said his son had always batted for fair play, and had thoroughly detested unfair play in sports, in any manner. He suspected that some big people, including Dhoni and Harbhajan, played a part in setting up Sreesanth, as the fit-again player was trying to stage a comeback into the national team. Sreesanth had a scrap with Harbhajan Singh in season one of the IPL after a match between Punjab and Mumbai at Mohali, resulting in the “slap-gate”. Harbhajan was banned and fined for slapping Sreesanth, and the BCCI then instituted an enquiry panel to get at the trugh. But the findings of the panel was disputed by Sreesanth through a twitter statement recently, stoking the fire once again, as he had called Harbhajan a “back-stabber”. Sreesanth’s parents said the conspiracy against their son was to scuttle his international cricket career and also his marriage, scheduled to be held in September. Kerala Cricket Association secretary T.C.Mathew, who has played a big role in making Cochin an international cricket venue, said Sreesanth would never do such a thing. “I won’t believe this news,” he said categorically. Mathews had helped Sreesanth recover from his injury and return to big-time cricket by first including him in the Kerala Ranji Trophy team for him to gain match-fitness, and then get a slot in the Rajasthan Royals last season, after the Kochin Tuskers were disbanded.
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New Delhi/Thiruvanthapuram, May 16 Opposing Delhi police’s plea seeking seven-day custodial interrogation of the accused, lawyer Deepak Prakash, who appeared for Sreesanth, said he told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma that the cricketer was innocent and there was no evidence against him in the case. “The police has not produced any direct evidence against Sreesanth. He is innocent and has been framed in the case,” he said. Meanwhile, Sreesanth’s arrest for his alleged role in IPL spot-fixing came as a big shock to Kerala as he has been the most prominent national player to have emerged form the state in recent years. If people across the state received the stunning news of the arrest of the Rajasthan Royals player with disbelief initially, as details began to unfold, many felt if he had done wrong it would be seen as a disgrace to his home state. The rise of the Kochi boy, hailing from a middle class family, to adorn the India cap in 2005 as a 22-year-old came as a boost to cricket in Kerala. Despite often running into controversies, Sreesanth continued to be seen as a talented player with a capacity to bounce back after suffering setbacks. But even his most ardent fans now find it difficult to defend him in the
issue also involving his two Royals teammates — Ajit Chadila and Ankeet Chavan. Though Sreesanth's father Santhakumaran Nair had initially said his son was a victim of conspiracy by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, he retracted the statement later and expressed regret. Nair told television channels he had made the remarks “following some misunderstanding” and on the spur of the moment on hearing the arrest of his son, who, he said, “will not do anything in a wrong manner”. — PTI
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Fixing unravelled after top Mumbai bookies’ arrest Mumbai, May 16 Ramesh Vyas, who runs a major betting operation in South Mumbai using his sweet manufacturing business as a front, had set up a telecommunications network at his office manned by Ashok and Kadam. The trio had more than 90 mobile phones with concall facilities to stay in touch with bookies in Dubai and Pakistan, the police said. The two were arrested while they were accepting bets when the match between between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab was in progress earlier this week. "They were part of a racket in which bets up to Rs 500 crore were placed everyday," Additional Commissioner of Police Himanshu Roy told reporters on Wednesday, just hours before the three cricketers were busted from a five-star hotel a few km away. According to the police, Ramesh Vyas was part of a ring of bookies linked to mobster Dawood Ibrahim which included notorious operators like Shobhan Mehta alias Kalachowkie. Both Vyas and Mehta had been arrested by the police eight years ago, but were let off. Subsequently, Vyas split from Mehta to start his own racket with the blessings of the Dawood gang, say the police.
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Chandila met bookies in Gurgaon mall Gurgaon, May 16 The police says Rajasthan Royals’ pacer S Sreesanth had sent fellow cricketer Ajit Chandila to Sahara Mall to meet the bookies, who operated in Gujarat. The police claims these bookies operate under the code name ‘Jupiter’ and are frontrunners for Dawood’s D Company. They spent a good 45 minutes with Chandila. The revelation has yet again drawn attention to the city becoming more accessible to underworld activities. Given the real estate boom, Gurgaon has long been rooted as the next hub for underworld activities.
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From 5-star rooms to dingy lockup New Delhi, May 16 A Delhi court today remanded the three Rajasthan Royals players - Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan - and 11 bookies in custody of the counter-terror unit. The 14 will be split up and lodged in two lockups of the Special Cell. One of the lockups is located at Lodhi Colony, where several alleged terrorists have been kept during their police remands for interrogation.
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Dead Delhi cop was part of betting probe Gurgaon, May 16 An expert in telecommunication intercepting, Badrish had been on job for the last one-and-a-half month, intercepting and tracking the calls of suspected bookies and cricketers. “Dutt was an expert interceptor handpicked by slain Delhi Police ACP Rajbir Singh owing to his expertise in this field,” said a senior official of the Delhi Police.
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The ugly underbelly of IPL surfaces yet again
New Delhi, May 16 Even though S. Sreesanth has played international cricket, including Tests, ODIs and T20, for the past few years, he is not big enough to dictate the course of a match. And Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila are names that are not even known, though they have played a few IPL matches. It’s surprising that all the three belong to Rajasthan Royals, led by an icon like Rahul Dravid, who would never compromise his integrity, having always followed the straight and narrow road. “If the bowlers do not bowl to the field set by the captain, what can the captain do?” asked an anguished cricket official, who sought severe punishment for the guilty players. Many feel that big guns are involved in the fixing racket, including perhaps the owners, as the real owners of some of the teams still remain wrapped in mystery. The clamour to own an IPL team, despite the sky-rocketing franchisee price, is another factor that points to unfair play in the whole IPL business, as no team seemed to have broke even, even in season six of the IPL. When Reliance bought the Mumbai Indians team for less than Rs 400 crores, it was perhaps the cheapest deal, as when the Sahara Group bought the Pune Warriors, they had to shell out close to Rs 1400 crore. The Kochin Tuskers shut shop when the owners battled among themselves to take control of the team. And even now it remains a mystery who were the real owners of the team. That Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar, while announcing the involvement of the three Rajasthan Royals players in the spot-fixing scandal, kept his counsel when asked whether other people, including the owners were involved in the fixing racket, raises more questions than he had answered. Because, the real identity of some of the franchise owners, despite projecting some glamorous faces as their public mascot, remains a puzzle. That former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, who now lives in exile in the UK, wanted a pie in the Kochin Tuskers’ team, which resulted in his fall out with his friend and Union Minister Shashi Taroor (Taroor too had to step down as the Minister of State for External Affairs for the IPL fiasco), had also indicated that there was more to winning and losing matches in the IPL. Some of the batting and bowling feats, last-ball wins and defeats, had provided thrills and spills, and surprises galore, too. Because the IPL thrived on the surprise element, which suited the spot and match-fixers fine, as such results helped them make a killing at the fixing turnstile. With the IPL making many an unknown player richer and famous almost overnight, it’s no surprise that the wannabe players are willing to sell their souls to earn a few lakhs, and may be crores, though the combined some of around Rs 1.40 crores earned by Sreesanth, Chanvan and Chandila are peanuts, considering the kind of money in which the IPL is wallowing.
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Fans think IPL is just tamasha
Dharamsala, May 16 Yet, they are not ready to junk the tamasha, for they have taken a huge hit on their pockets and hence want it to be a ‘paisa vasool’ deal, never mind the ‘locket-kissing’ and the ‘towel-tucking’ acts guiding the outcome of the game. “Everybody knows this is not serious cricket, it is just entertainment, so enjoy it and forget it,” said Nitesh Sood, an employee with a telecom service provider from Palampur. “It’s no secret that the matches are fixed, or at least, spot-fixed. It has become a part and parcel of IPL. Every other year we hear such stuff,” he added. “The spectators know it well. Anyone with a basic knowledge of the game can see through it. But the format makes it difficult to nail the culprit.” There may be an overkill of cricket in the rest of the country, but Dharamsala is an exception as very few international games take place here and IPL is the only dose of ‘international’ cricket in the state. Also, with the new stadium, cricket is still treated like a new bride here. “What is new in it? This fixing happens every year. I don’t know why people leave all their work and rush to the ground. I completely fail to understand,” said Bihari Lal, a small teashop owner near the Kachheri market in Dharamsala. Spot-fixing was the talk of the town and the country on Thursday. Yet, two hours before the Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils match, a dud by any standards as both teams are almost out of the fray, the excitement was like any other regular match of the tournament. The crowds were still milling in unmindful of the taint the tournament suffered barely hours ago. Two hours before the game, the stadium was jam-packed even though dark clouds menacingly threatened to disrupt the game. “The BCCI, team management and players need to be held accountable for this recurring menace. After all we paying for genuine action. They cannot cheat the spectators every year. BCCI keeps saying they have all the measures in place, but I want to ask what is their anti-corruption unit doing,” said Santosh Kumar, a former state-level cricketer from Dharamsala.
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Ajit Chandila
Before taking a hat-trick against Pune Warriors in the last edition of IPL, there wasn't much information available on Ajit Chandila's cricketing credentials save that he was a 'club-level' off-spinner who plied his trade in 'Hot Weather' tournaments across Delhi. Haryana, the state he represents in domestic cricket, didn't find him fit enough to play more than two Ranji games in 2010, after his action came under scanner and he was sent for correction at the NCA Wuestions were raised about how he landed an IPL contract. Ankeet Chavan Coming up the Mumbai ranks, he’s been progressing steadily over the last five years. He established himself as a reliable left-arm spinner and a useful batsman. He started as a middle-order batsman and a spinner on the Mumbai fields, and made his Mumbai debut in 2008-09. Earlier this year, he emerged as Mumbai's top spinner during their 40th Ranji Trophy triumph. — Agencies
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Corruption was likely as cricketers ignored warnings
Patiala, May 16 Insiders say that before the start of the IPL season all teams are given lessons on anti-corruption measures and ways to avoid bookies. A former cricketer who has played with Sreesanth in the IPL told The Tribune that he never had any suspicion against the pacer. “I was surprised to know in the morning that he has been arrested,” he said. “I’m surprised that his parents are blaming Dhoni.” Another player, currently part of Kolkata Knight Riders, said that ahead of the IPL season all cricketers are briefed by the Anti Corruption Unit of the BCCI. “We are told not to mingle with outsiders and unknown persons even in the IPL parties or in otherwise during the course of the IPL season,” he said. Sources said that with the involvement of a bookie already arrested, who is himself a club level cricketer, has further brought the role of near and dear ones of some other cricketers also under the scanner. “The role of some others who are not directly involved with the IPL tournament is also under the scanner,” they added. A former IPL player who featured in the first two seasons said that he was not surprised with the betting and spot-fixing going on in the matches as bookies are usually present in post-match parties and also try to strike a chord with the vulnerable players. “They (bookies) would know by experience who can be contacted and once the confidence is won, spot fixing becomes easy,” he stated.
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Their captain Dravid is ‘devastated’
Jaipur, May 16 “Rajasthan Royals is a special team, where we have always operated like a family – so this is particularly devastating. Spot fixing and corruption have hung over the cricket, and I know that the BCCI and RR take the same zero tolerance view of the situation. The RR owners and management have made their zero tolerance views clear on every possible occasion, and I am sure that they will support any action taken. As a captain and a leader, I have to focus on ensuring that the team fulfill their enormous potential and continue to play in the ‘Rajasthan Royals’ way,” Dravid said in a statement. “Our players are devastated that our performances may have been affected, as they have a desire to win that has been evident throughout the tournament. I hope that our fans get behind us even more, and that we become stronger as a unit – which often happens in times of adversity.” RR coach Paddy Upton said he too was shocked and disappointed at the turn of events. “As Rahul says, the Rajasthan Royals environment is a special one. We challenge inexperience to compete with the most experienced – and that approach has risks. Today’s events have left us all shocked and disappointed, and we will support the franchise, the BCCI and the authorities in taking necessary actions to root out an evil that plagues our game. However, we will not let the team lose its focus in finish ing a remarkable tournament. We cannot let ‘bad eggs’ ruin the game that we all love, affect the values that RR holds dear, and destroy an environment that we have worked hard to take to a new level.”
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Kings beat DD, keep hope alive
Dharamsala, May 16 With Unmukt Chand (7), Irfan Pathan (1) and David Warner (0) back in the pavilion, Delhi finally limped to 164/6, thanks to Virender Sehwag (30) and Mahela Jayawardene (39). Ben Rohrer (49) kept the crowds alive till the end as Morne Morkel’s late charge spiked up the contest. Delhi still needed 22 runs off the last over. Their fate was more or less sealed when Rohrer got out to Piyush Chawla’s fast one on the first ball. The credit for Punjab’s win was taken by rookie Sandeep Sharma who dismissed Irfan, Warner and Jayawardene to keep Kings’ hope, though faint, of play-offs alive. Kings XI Punjab got going from the very start as they flayed Daredevils pace battery mercilessly. Kings were in regal touch as the batsmen took turns to go ballistic against the beleaguered team. Adam Gilchrist (42) began the fireworks even as Shaun Marsh (45) played the second fiddle. Both fell short of half centuries, but had provided the platform. Azhar Mahmood (9) could not do much and it was left to David Miller (40) and R Sathish (22) to carry forward. Together Sathish and Miller scored 62 runs towards the end to put up a challenging total. Miller chose the aerial route frequently and singled out Sidharth Kaul in the 18th over to plunder 18 runs with two huge sixes and a crunching four. For Delhi, Ashish Nehra (2/38) was the most successful bowler. Morne Morkel and Irfan Pathan bagged one wicket each.
Brief scores
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Disciplined New Zealand make England toil
London, May 16 No England batsman reached 40 and no partnership realised more than 45, the hosts adopting a cautious approach after winning the toss. Jonathan Trott top-scored with 39, Alastair Cook made 32 and Ian Bell 31, but no batsman mastered a very slow pitch in the sunny conditions. Joe Root, on 25, and Jonny Bairstow, three, were the not out batsmen when rain ended the day's play 10 overs early. England lost Nick Compton for 16 in the morning session as the touring side's pace bowlers Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner gave little away. Cook, captaining England for the first time in a test at Lord’s, survived a huge shout for lbw off Boult when he was at 30, however, two runs later his 115-ball innings ended when he edged a seaming delivery from Boult to wicketkeeper BJ Watling. Trott struck six well-timed fours but he was undone just before tea by the fifth delivery of Boult's third spell which moved sharply off the pitch. — Reuters
Brief scores
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Ivanovic wins Europa League for Chelsea
Amsterdam, May 16 The Serbian defender, sidelined for the final against Bayern Munich 12 months ago through suspension, climbed high at the far post to meet Juan Mata’s corner with a looping header that arched over keeper Artur and into the back of the net. The goal sent the London club’s blue-decked fans into raptures and meant Chelsea became the first English club to win all three of UEFA’s major trophies. Ajax Amsterdam, Bayern Munich and Juventus are the only other teams to have won the Europa League, European Cup and the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup. Fernando Torres had put Chelsea in front with a well-taken solo goal in the 59th minute before Oscar Cardozo replied for Benfica from the penalty spot nine minutes later after Cesar Azpilicueta handled in the box. “This is a great feeling,” Ivanovic said. “The team deserved this because we have had a very difficult season and a lot of games.” Interim manager Rafa Benitez, who took over from Roberto Di Matteo when the Champions League-winning Italian was sacked in November, picked up his first trophy at the club. — Reuters
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Anand beats Radjabov, rises up to joint 3rd
Sor Hidle (Norway), May 16 It turned out to be a good day in office for Anand as he won an important game with black pieces adding to the woes of Radjabov whose slide in the world ranking continued. Anand has four points out of a possible seven. Karjakin accounted for Hikaru Nakamura showing great signs of recovery after losing to Carlsen in the fifth and salvaging a half point against Anand in the sixth round. World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway scored a lucky victory against compatriot Jon Ludvig Hammer while in the other two games Levon Aronian of Armenia played out a draw with Chinese Wang Hao and Russian Peter Svidler signed peace with former world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Karjakin stayed ahead with 5.5 points and Carlsen remained on his toes a half point behind. Aronian shares the third spot along with Anand on four points while Svidler and Nakamura have 3.5 points each for the shared fifth place. Topalov is next in standings on three points, a half point clear of Wnag Hao and Nakamura while Hammer remained on the bottom having 1.5 points from his seven games. The Catalan opening holds a solid reputation as white but Radjabov was on the receiving end after some reckless play in the middle game. — Reuters
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New Delhi, May 16 Sharath Kamal registered a 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9 win over Spain’s Carlos Machado in his first singles encounter and will now take on World No. 5 Timo Boll of Germany in the second round. The Indian challenge ended in the women’s singles too after all the qualifiers — Mouma Das, K. Shamini and Madhurika Patkar — lost their respective opening matches of the main draw. In the mixed doubles competition, the duo of Ghosh and Das accounted for Russia’s Alexander Shibaev and Elena Troshneva 16-14, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8 to seal a spot in the last 32 stage. — PTI
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Rome, May 16 The pony-tailed Dolgopolov, wearing a custard-yellow shirt, missed two chances to break Djokovic in the sixth game of the second set and surrendered the final game to 15 when the Serbian hit a forehand winner. “That is exactly what I was looking for in my game,” he said. Sania, partner in quarters
Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-3 to move into the women’s doubles quarterfinal. — Agencies |
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The Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) was “shocked and saddened” by the spot-fixing scandal, involving Rajasthan Royals players S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, and suspended them till further inquiry. The scandal was cracked by the Delhi Police after intercepting 100 hours of telephone talks between the players and the bookies, though Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar disclosed that the mastermind of the racket was operating from abroad.
Indian pace bowler S Sreesanth today claimed in a Delhi court that he is innocent and has been framed in the spot-fixing racket.
Opposing Delhi police’s plea seeking seven-day custodial interrogation of the accused, lawyer Deepak
Prakash, who appeared for Sreesanth, said he told Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma that the cricketer was innocent and there was no evidence against him in the case.
The worst fears of spectators and everyone concerned with cricket in Inda have come true, yet again. Spot-fixing, the dreaded menace, has yet again reared its ugly head and sullied the reputation the
IPL. As the TV channels laid bare the murky details, the disenchantment among the spectators here was writ large on their faces.
Branislav Ivanovic made up for the heartbreak of missing last year’s Champions League triumph by heading a dramatic stoppage-time goal to lead Chelsea to a 2-1 win over Benfica in the Europa League final on Wednesday.
