New Delhi: The Rajasthan Royals yesterday filed a police complaint against their three players arrested for alleged spot-fixing in IPL matches and, pending inquiry, suspended the trio’s contracts.
“Based on the information provided by the authorities, the contracts of all three players have been suspended pending enquiry. We have already filed a complaint with the Delhi police against all three players earlier today,” Rajasthan Royals chairman Ranjit Barthakur said referring to S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan.
A case under sections 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code was registered in the case lodged by now-slain inspector Badrish Dutt of Delhi Police’s Special Cell, who intercepted the phone conversations between the bookies and the IPL players for spot-fixing.
Delhi police arrested the three cricketers in Mumbai late Wednesday night on spot-fixing charges, triggering off a huge controversy in the middle of the Indian Premier League’s sixth season.
Amongst the other decisions taken by the team, there will be increased security cover for the players during the play-off against Sunrisers Hyderabad here tomorrow.
“As the Royals prepare for the play-offs this week, the team has re-grouped itself after the shocking events of last week and are preparing for the play-offs. The security deployment for the team has been expanded, again in close consultation with the BCCI,” said Barthakur a day after BCCI ordered an internal probe into the scandal.
“The franchise is in daily contact with the police authorities in Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai for providing any cooperation/information that they might require.
Earlier yesterday, Delhi Police recovered Rs.20 lakh from the house of a relative of Chandila in Haryana’s Palwal.
Delhi Police arrested S. Sreesanth, Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and 12 bookies in a post-midnight operation in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad May 16 for spot-fixing in IPL matches -- for payments of up to Rs.60 lakh, they would give away a pre-determined number of runs in an over.
Three more people were arrested in connection with the case Sunday early morning from Maharashtra’s Aurangabad city. The three Sunil Bhatia, 44, Kiran Dole, 43, and Manish Gudewa, 32 all natives of Nagpur are “fixers” who mediated between the bookies and the players.
Meanwhile, IPL team Punjab XI’s co-owner Preity Zinta says if the charges of spot-fixing are true, it would be badShe said: “Look, I’d still like to give the accused the benefit of the doubt. But if the allegations are true, then it’s really really sad for the country, for the game and for the IPL.”
The Bollywood star added yesterday: “So much faith is placed on these players. I don’t think they’ve any business betraying us like this. If the allegations are true then let me tell you the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is going to take very stern against these players. At the same time, we can’t write off the game just because there might be some rotten eggs in the basket.” IANS
