Shocking IPL heist! BCCI office hit by ₹6.52 lakh jersey theft at Wankhede Stadium
Table of Contents
Indian Premier League (IPL) is known to have the biggest fan base among franchise leagues in Global T20s, and hence, they have immense craze for the jerseys of several teams. It emerges as one among the many sources of revenue the BCCI attains from the IPL.
It has often been said that the amount of money spent as well as earned through the IPL is an insane number in terms of franchise-level T20 tournaments. Taking home an IPL jersey of their favourite side seems to be a desire for every cricket fanatic.
However, in a recently reported theft, the security guard of the BCCI's office at the Wankhede Stadium seemed to have taken the desire to another level, as he has robbed an entire carton full of jerseys from the storeroom of the BCCI office.
IPL jersey theft reported at Wankhede Stadium
As per reports from the Times of India, the alleged security guard, who is 40 years old, has taken the full carton of jerseys, which was supposed to contain a total of 261 jerseys, which have been stated to be worth INR 6.52 lakh by the BCCI.
The incident took place at the Wankhede Stadium's BCCI office in Churchgate, where he took a carton full of jerseys costing around 2500 each.
While the theft was probably conducted back on June 13th, it came into the BCCI's notice during an audit report that was recently conducted, which found some discrepancies in the stock. The CCTV footage found the alleged security guard carrying off a carton full of jerseys. The BCCI officials lodged a police complaint at the Marine Drive Police Station on the 17th of July.
The officials reported, "The guard claims he haggled a bit with the online dealer, but he hasn't yet specified how much he got for the deal."
Thief held captive—complaint lodged by BCCI
The alleged security guard, named Farooque Aslam Khan, sold off the box full of jerseys online to a dealer in Haryana whom he had met on social media. He has reportedly sold the stock to fund his online gambling addiction.
The BCCI is yet to confirm whether the jerseys were meant to be for players or the general public who would be buying them officially. The guard himself lives in Mira Road in Mumbai and sold the jerseys online while the money was credited to his account.
The police summoned the Haryana-based dealer for investigation, to which he responded, saying he had no idea that the jerseys sold to him were stolen. The guard had possibly told the dealer that the entire lot was part of a stock clearance due to renovation in the BCCI office.
Only 50 of those 261 jerseys have been recovered, while the guard claims that he has lost all the money in online gambling, as revealed by the TOI source. The police would be checking his bank account to verify the details.
ALSO READ: Revealed: Why Modi govt gave permission for India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match
BCCI earned record revenue in FY24
The IPL has proved to be a true golden goose for the BCCI, as it contributes to nearly 60% of their revenues, and it played a crucial role in the BCCI's record rise in revenues in the Financial Year 2024.
The IPL is now 100% part of the BCCI and has marked a huge leap in revenues, and has also popularised the game in the nation. BCCI generated an annual revenue of 9741.7 crores in the FY 2023-24. The IPL alone raised a revenue of around INR 5761 crores (approx.). Even the ICC largely depends on the BCCI for a bulk of its funding.
