IPL 2020: Bookies active in UAE, player reports approach

The ghost of match-fixing is trying to resurface in the United Arab Emirates. Two days after the anti-corruption unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has reported that the bookies have reached the UAE, an Indian Premier League player has reported “a corrupt approach”.

The ACU has been on high alert.

The BCCI ACU chief Ajit Singh, according to national news agency PTI, has confirmed that the player has been approached with an ulterior motive. “Yes (a player has reported approach),” Singh, an ex-Indian Police Service officer and former DGP of Rajasthan has confirmed.

“We are tracking him (the man who has approached the player). It will take some time,” he said when asked if the alleged corruptor or “Person of Interest” has been nabbed.

Singh is leading an eight-man team in the UAE.

The BCCI has tied up with UK-based company Sportradar, which will offer its “integrity services” to prevent betting and other corrupt practices during the upcoming IPL through its Fraud Detection Services (FDS).

The BCCI and the ACU do not disclose the identity of the player or the team under the ACU confidentiality protocols.

With players and support staff staying in a bio-bubble due to the strict COVID-19 protocols, the ACU is concentrating more on the possible online corrupt approaches.

The miscreants try to approach and befriend players through their social media handles – Twitter and Instagram.

The players have been given anti-corruption education to apprise them of the rules and guide them on dealing with any unwarranted situation.

“The best part is that the player who was approached immediately sensed that something is fishy. He had a suspicion and he immediately shared his concerns with the ACU. Every player, even those who have come from the U-19s are well aware of each and every anti-corruption protocol,” the BCCI official, privy to the development, has told PTI.

Due to health safety protocols this year, the ACU had organised its mandatory counselling sessions virtually for all the eight teams.

The IPL Season 13 is being played in the UAE in a bio-secure environment. The strict COVID-19 prevention protocol has significantly reduced the possibility of an unwarranted approach to any of the players or officials.

The threat though still remains by and large due to the online network of miscreants.

Admin Sportz Front

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