Did the wide-ranging fallout of the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal work as a deterrent against corruption in Indian cricket? Not so, say anti-corruption (ACU) officials in the sport.

These officials say the corruptors now look to target the state leagues as well as lesser known live competitions – smaller in scale and involving more vulnerable players. “We have 50 investigations that we are undertaking and majority have links to corruptors in India,” Steve Richardson, coordinator of investigations, International Cricket Council ACU said in a webinar on Sports Law and Policy on Saturday.

Of late, no high-profile Indian cricketer may have come under the lens, but the player-bookie nexus goes unabated, he said. “Players are the final link in the chain. Problem is with people who organise corruption, who pay the players; who sit outside the sport. I can deliver eight names to Indian governing agencies who are serial offenders and constantly approach the players,” Richardson added.

But for Covid 19 applying the brake on all state leagues, many of them would have been on by now. The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) remains suspended and police investigations are on after some players and a team owner were charged with fixing. “The police has filed partial charge-sheets in KPL matter. We are in the process of examination of that evidence,” BCCI ACU head Ajit Singh said.

“The entire malice emanates from (illegal) betting. Just to make windfall gains illegally through betting, they approach participants (players, support staff, officials, franchise owners) and the amount of money involved is unimaginable – an annual turnover of R30,000-40,000 crore; including sports and other activities. In state leagues, we got betting examined on certain matches and we discovered it comes to the tune of more than 2 million pounds per match,” said Singh.

ACU officials say nothing will change until match-fixing is made a criminal offence in India. “Sri Lanka was the first nation that brought a match-fixing law. For that reason, Sri Lanka cricket is better protected now. In Australia’s case, we are very proactive. At the moment, with no legislation in place in India, they are operating with one hand tied up,” said Richardson.

A robust law would also help protect ICC events better. “In Australia, they can stop someone coming to their country before the tournament. India too has ICC events coming up with the T20 World Cup (2021) and the 2023 ODI World Cup. Legislation would be a game changer.”

Singh said there would be a strong deterrent if the pending Prevention of Sports Fraud bill became law. “Fans put in a huge amount of emotion and this (fixing) happens… It starts at an early stage; those who are in sports betting nurture these players and start using them later for fixing. It needs to be curbed. For that you need a strong law. Currently it is archaic, and some of the conditions are laughable.”

PORT ELIZABETH (South Africa): South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada will face a disciplinary hearing on Saturday that could result in a ban from the third Test against Australia.

Cricket South Africa said Rabada, who devastated the Australian batting order on the first day of the second Test on Friday, has been charged with a level two offence following an incident with Australian captain Steve Smith.

Level two offences are for conduct of a serious nature. In Rabada’s case the alleged offence is that of making inappropriate or deliberate contact with another player.

Rabada shouted in celebration and approached Smith aggressively after winning a leg before wicket decision against him and the shoulders of the players made contact.

It is the second incident of a bad-tempered series after Australia’s vice-captain David Warner was fined 75 percent of his match fee for an altercation in a stairwell with the home side’s wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

The charge against Rabada was brought by the on-field umpires, Kumar Dharmasena and Chris Gaffaney. The hearing will be conducted by International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe.

A Cricket South Africa spokesperson said Rabada would defend the charge and argue that the contact with Smith was accidental.

If found guilty Rabada could be fined between 50 and 100 percent of his match fee and could be penalised three or four demerit points. Because he already has five demerit points, which led to him being suspended for a Test match against England last year, Rabada could be liable to serve another suspension, which could rule him out of the two remaining Tests in the series.

Top Indian cricketer Mohammad Shami has been charged with domestic violence following a complaint by his wife.

Police say the 27-year-old fast bowler has also been charged under laws related to attempted murder, poisoning and criminal intimidation.

Mr. Shami was dropped from a list of contracted players for the national team announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on 8 March.

He denied his wife’s allegations earlier this week.

The charges against the player, who has represented India 87 times in all formats of the game since 2012, carry prison terms of 10 years or more.

How did the allegations emerge?

Mr. Shami’s wife, Hasin Jahan, accused him earlier this week of adultery and domestic violence.

On Tuesday, Ms. Jahan posted a series of messages that Mr. Shami had allegedly sent to women during their four-year marriage on her Facebook account.

He had several affairs, she alleged, and “tortured [me] physically and mentally over and over again”.

The player, who has won 30 Test caps, dismissed the claims, calling them “part of a big conspiracy” against him and “an attempt to defame” him.

“What is being said about my personal life is completely false,” he wrote on Twitter.

Ms. Jahan has also filed a rape complaint against Mr. Shami’s elder brother.

A BCCI supervisory committee said the allegations had put them in a difficult position.

“We are in a bit of Catch 22,” Vinod Rai, chairman of the committee, told cricket website ESPNcricinfo.

“Ordinarily you would distinguish and say that is a personal issue and the

contract is a professional issue.

“But someone could easily point out and say this allegation is an unsavoury one and you are still rewarding him.” (BBC Sport)

 

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Top Indian cricketer Mohammad Shami has been charged with domestic violence following a complaint by his wife.

Police say the 27-year-old fast bowler has also been charged under laws related to attempted murder, poisoning and criminal intimidation.

Mr Shami was dropped from a list of contracted players for the national team announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on 8 March.

He denied his wife’s allegations earlier this week.

The charges against the player, who has represented India 87 times in all formats of the game since 2012, carry prison terms of 10 years or more.

How did the allegations emerge?

Mr Shami’s wife, Hasin Jahan, accused him earlier this week of adultery and domestic violence.

On Tuesday, Ms Jahan posted a series of messages that Mr Shami had allegedly sent to women during their four-year marriage on her Facebook account.

He had several affairs, she alleged, and “tortured [her] physically and mentally over and over again”.

The player, who has won 30 Test caps, dismissed the claims, calling them “part of a big conspiracy” against him and “an attempt to defame” him.

“What is being said about my personal life is completely false,” he wrote on Twitter.

Ms Jahan has also filed a rape complaint against Mr Shami’s elder brother.

• Mohammad Shami: Contract on hold after adultery and domestic violence claims
• Mohammed Shami, India cricketer, defends wife against Twitter trolls

What is the cricket board’s position?

A BCCI supervisory committee said the allegations had put them in a difficult position.

“We are in a bit of Catch 22,” Vinod Rai, chairman of the committee, told cricket website ESPNcricinfo.

“Ordinarily you would distinguish and say that is a personal issue and the contract is a professional issue.

“But someone could easily point out and say this allegation is an unsavoury one and you are still rewarding him.”

MUMBAI: India skipper Virat Kohli and his predecessor Mahendra Singh Dhoni are among the top players who are set to be retained by their respective IPL franchises, Royal Challengers Bangalore and comeback outfit Chennai Super Kings respectively.

The retention list of players is to be announced by BCCI on Thursday.

Kohli, yet to taste a triumph as captain in IPL in spite of his extremely successful run as national captain, and 2011 World Cup-winning skipper Dhoni are expected to be shoo-ins when RCB and CSK decide which players they are retaining in the squad for the next three seasons – 2018 to 2020.

Among other top Indians who are almost certain to be retained are Rohit Sharma, who led Mumbai Indians to their title triumph last season, exciting MI all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, who is set to go back to CSK after playing for Gujarat Lions over the last two seasons, and Australian pocket dynamo David Warner for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Another franchise making a return after serving a two-year suspension, Rajasthan Royals, will certainly go for Australia captain Steve Smith, considering the form he has been in.

Each team can opt for up to five players by virtue of a combination of Player Retention (Pre Player Auction) and Right to Match (RTM) (during the Player Auction), according to the decision of the IPL GC at its meeting in New Delhi on December 6.

There can be a maximum of either three retentions or three RTMs at the discretion of the franchises and if there is no retention before player auction, then franchises can have up to three RTMs, as per the norms put in place by the IPL GC.

The break-up is: Maximum number of 3 capped Indian players, 2 overseas players and 2 uncapped Indian players each.

The player pool available for CSK and RR for retention/RTM will be the players who played for them respectively in IPL 2015 and who were part of Rising Pune Supergiant and GL squads in IPL 2017, as per the norms.

The salary cap has also been raised. For the coming season, it’s fixed at Rs 80 crore and will increase to Rs 82 and 85 crore respectively in 2019 and 2020.

The minimum spend has been fixed at 75 per cent of the salary cap for each season.

The player retention price guideline for salary cap charged has also been set as Rs 33 crore (for 3 players pre auction), Rs 21 crore (for 2 players pre auction) and Rs 12.5 crore (for 1 player retained pre-auction).

Each squad can consist of a maximum number of 25 players (up to 8 overseas players) and a minimum of 18.