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Updated May 5th, 2021 at 16:14 IST

IPL 2021 postponed: BCCI reveals bookies' shocking way of using Delhi match for corruption

The IPL 2021 is not short of controversies and following its suspension news, another shocking fact has come into the limelight, originating out of Delhi.

Reported by: Jatin Malu
IPL 2021
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The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) was indefinitely suspended on Tuesday after several players across franchises tested positive for COVID-19. The 'IPL suspended' announcement was made after Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Delhi Capitals spinner Amit Mishra tested positive for the ungodly virus on Tuesday. The Saha COVID news came a day after KKR players Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, as well as CSK bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji and a bus cleaner testing positive for COVID-19.

IPL suspended: Bookies employ cleaner to do 'pitch-siding at Arun Jaitley Stadium

After the IPL 2021 was suspended, a shocking incident has come to the fore. BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) chief Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala has revealed that the IPL 2021 witnessed potential corruptors plugging an accredited cleaner at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium for doing 'pitch-siding', which helps ball-to-ball betting. For the unversed, the act of exploiting the delay between live sports action and its television broadcast for the purpose of gambling or betting is known as pitch-siding.

The new plan of action was noticed during one of the IPL 2021 matches in Delhi. During the game, a designated cleaner was using the time lag between actual match action and live TV coverage to help in ball-by-ball betting. This is the first instance of a bookie trying to influence IPL match results illegally coming out in the public.

The BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit chief told PTI that one of his ACU officers caught a person and handed over the details to Delhi Police. He added that the particular offender managed to flee leaving behind his two mobile phones, but ACU have lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police. Hussain further said that they are thankful to Delhi Police that in a separate incident they caught two other persons from the Arun Jaitley Stadium on the ACU tip-off.

Two bookies were arrested for entering Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on May 2, during an IPL game between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The bookies illegally entered the stadium using fake accreditation cards, for which they were arrested and sent to police remand for five days. According to news agency ANI, the bookies have been charged under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including the Epidemic Disease Act, which is currently being used to contain the spread of COVID-19 disease in India. 

Hussain stated that on two separate days, those people managed to get access to the ground. He added that the one who fled came in the garb of a cleaner, however, they have all his details as he was employed for the tournament. The ACU supremo assured that his Aadhar Card details have been handed over to Delhi Police and he is confident that the cleaner will be nabbed in a day or two. Hussain reckoned that the cleaner is a small fry working for a couple of hundred or some thousand bucks.

Revealing how did the cleaner come under ACU's radar, Hussain said "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," Hussain revealed but did not divulge during which match the incident.

Is IPL 2021 cancelled?

The 'IPL suspension' news took the internet by storm as fans were left wondering "Is IPL 2021 cancelled?" To answer the query, no, the tournament has not been called off but has been suspended for the time being. The same was confirmed by a top BCCI official to Republic World.

While speaking to Republic World, the BCCI official said that the IPL 2021 has been suspended and not cancelled. He added that the IPL 2021 resumption date will be decided next week. The official also assured that all IPL 2021 matches will be rescheduled once they get clearance for shifting the entire tournament to Mumbai and added that until then, the teams will remain in the bio-bubble.

SOURCE: IPLT20.COM

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Published May 5th, 2021 at 16:14 IST

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