IPL 2021: Bookies Tipped Off By A Cleaner From Inside The Stadium In Delhi For Ball-By-Ball Betting During A Match: BCCI ACU Chief

After being suspended due to covid-19 cases in players and staff, the IPL 2021 has come under the scanner for corruption.

It has been reported that a cleaner inside the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi had helped some bookies by providing live information for ball-to-ball betting using the time lag between actual match action and live TV coverage – this is known as doing “pitch-siding”

The BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) Chief, Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala has revealed the details regarding this corrupt event in the now-postponed IPL 2021.

“One of my ACU officers caught a person and handed over the details to Delhi Police. While that particular offender managed to flee leaving behind his two mobile phones, ACU lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police,” Hussain, a former DG of Gujarat Police, told PTI on Wednesday.

2 persons arrested with fake accreditation cards during the IPL match between SRH and RR

Hussain also confirmed that the Delhi Police has arrested two people with fake accreditation cards during the IPL game between the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 2. This means that on two matchdays unregistered people with DDCA had entered the stadium.

“We are thankful to Delhi Police that in a separate incident they caught two other persons from the Kotla on ACU tip-off. So on two separate days, these people managed to get access to Kotla. The one who fled came in the garb of a cleaner. However, we have all his details as he was employed for the tournament. His Aadhar Card details have been handed over to Delhi Police.

“I am confident that he will be nabbed in a day or two. He is a small fry working for a couple of hundred or some thousand bucks may be,” Hussain added.

The ACU chief reveals ACU’s suspicion on the cleaner:

“He was standing (inside Feroz Shah Kotla premises) in a secluded area all by himself and so one of our officers approached and asked him ‘What are you doing here?’ He said:”Main apne girlfriend se baat kar raha hoon. (I am talking to my girlfriend).

“My officer then asked him to dial the number he was talking to and then asked him to hand over the phones. Just when he was going through the contents of his phone, the guy fled from the spot.

“It was one of the evening matches in Delhi. He was wearing an I-card. Also what raised suspicion was he had two mobiles. The information he may be supplying could be to someone more influential among bookmakers and so we needed to inform the Delhi Police. Delhi Police has responded positively and thus next instance two people were arrested.

“Obviously with bio bubble and no crowd around, it certainly becomes a bit easier to manage as there is no physical proximity of (face to face meeting with players) questionable characters. When there is crowd, it becomes difficult to check anyone and everyone,” Hussain revealed.

As for the IPL, it remains suspended and all the planning have begun to send back the overseas players to their respective countries. The BCCI is eyeing the September window to conclude the remaining matches of IPL 2021.

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