IPL spot-fixing: BCCI's inquiry committee meets Shalabh Srivastava
A day after setting up an Inquiry Commission to probe the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the IPL, the BCCI swung into action as one of the suspended domestic players, Shalabh Srivastava, deposed before the Commission on Wednesday.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: May 16, 2012 10:20 PM IST
A day after setting up an Inquiry Commission to probe the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the IPL, the BCCI swung into action as one of the suspended domestic players, Shalabh Srivastava, deposed before the Commission on Wednesday.
The head of the Commission, Ravi Sawani met Srivastava on Wednesday to hear his side of the story on the sting operation.
Srivastava and four other domestic cricketers - Amit Yadav (Kings XI Punjab), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors India), Abhinav Bali (played for Delhi Giants in the erstwhile Indian Cricket League) and TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers) have been suspended from all forms of cricket after being embroiled in a corruption scandal after a news channel carried out a sting operation on them.
Sawani, a former chief of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), and now the chief of BCCI's Anti-Corruption unit has been asked to submit his report to the BCCI's Discplinary Committee within 15 days.
The meeting, which took place at a five-star hotel, is learnt to have lasted for an hour. There was, however, no official word from the BCCI on the development.
Sawani will meet the other four suspended players in the coming days before handing his report, a BCCI source said.
Among the suspended - TP Sudhindra of the Deccan Chargers is seen on camera allegedly accepting bribes before a domestic match. Although there is no proof that the 28-year-old pacer from Madhya Pradesh has taken money during the course of the IPL, on camera he is seen asking for Rs. 40,000 to bowl a no-ball during an Indore T20 League match. The player, who took 40 wickets for his state in the 2011-12 season, did bowl a huge no-ball off the second delivery of his first over in that match.
Among players purportedly talking on tape about being paid by IPL franchises in black, is Mohnish Mishra of the Sahara Pune Warriors, who accepted the statements he made during the sting operation conducted by a TV channel and said he did it casually "to develop his value".
"I sincerely apologise for the embarrassment caused to Sahara due to such frivolous and incorrect statements. I have not received any amount in cash from Sahara," the player said in his apology letter to the Sahara Group.
Sahara said Mishra made the comments "to develop his value or maybe he wanted to be pompous in front of others during the course of discussion", and that he has not received any amount in cash from Sahara.
Kings XI fast bowler Srivastava, purportedly on tape demanding Rs. 10 lakh to bowl a deliberate no-ball during an IPL game, says he is innocent and that the audio tape is doctored. "I fail to understand whatever is being said about spot-fixing. Also if they (a TV channel) are showing all the video clips, why aren't they showing the clip where I allegedly am demanding Rs. 10 lakh? The voice in that telephonic conversation is not mine. It is very easy to frame anyone with a doctored audio clip," he had said.
News channel India TV, meanwhile, has said that it stands by its operation, which it says was conducted over a year. Chief Editor of the channel Rajat Sharma said the objective was to lift the cover from illegal operations. He said he did not believe any big players were involved.