IPL is den of gambling, says Yashwant Sinha

Bookmakers arrested for allegedly spot-fixing cricket matches cover their faces as they ride in a police van in Kolkata yesterday.

IANS/New Delhi

“IPL is nothing but a den of gambling. There is less cricket and more of gambling in the IPL. The spotfixing or matchfixing does not appear to be confined to a few players or bookies. It appears to be a widespread net,” Sinha said, adding that such incidents had taken place in previous years too.

In his view, IPL matches have changed the character of the game of cricket.

“What is required is a detailed inquiry into who are all involved in matchfixing, who are responsible for reducing the game of cricket to a den of gambling; action should be taken under the law against all these people ... however mighty or glamorous they may be. They must be brought to book and they should be brought to justice,” Sinha said.

Asked if the IPL should be banned, Sinha said: “For the time being, the Supreme Court has not agreed to ban the IPL. I reserve my comment.”

He slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Obviously BCCI consists of a large number of eminent people, including ministers of the government. BCCI had failed to regulate IPL in the manner in which it should have been regulated.”

He said there was no need for new laws.

“There are already enough laws in this country... the question is proper enforcement. For every new situation, we shouldn’t think of a new law. But I’m not arguing on that point. Let them bring a new law against betting and matchfixing, which will apply not only to cricket but to other sports also.”

At least 18 people including Test fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, and 11 bookmakers were arrested last week for allegedly deliberately bowling badly in exchange for hundreds of thousands of rupees.

The scandal widened on Tuesday when police in Mumbai arrested Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa as part of the investigation which has caused outrage among fans in the cricket-mad nation.

His family denied the actor was involved in the scandal.

In Chennai, police said the dealings of a real estate developer with arrested bookies were under investigation.

Officials did not name the real estate developer suspected to be involved in the betting controversy.

In a statement, the Crime Branch-Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID) of the Tamil Nadu police said they were in the process of analysing the call details as well as the information available in the electronic devices of the accused.

“Bookies are found to have VIP clients and one such person is a real estate developer. Inquiry shows he is having financial dealings with many bookies. Investigation is going on over all the leads and inputs,” the statement said.

With a pan-India crackdown on betting rackets, Delhi bookies have suffered a whopping loss of Rs350bn as most of them have either wound up their business or have gone underground.

The business was worth Rs500bn at the start of the IPL, but within a week, with the arrest of the three cricketers, it has been reduced to Rs150bn, Delhi police sources said.

Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor expressed dismay at the spotfixing scam, saying “it’s shameful” and blots the entire platform.

“Its very shameful that something like this has happened, and because of two or three mischievous people the entire platform of IPL is spoiled,” he said.

“I think it’s such an entertaining platform... the entire country loves it... the entire world loves it, and there are many players who are passionately and seriously playing the sport. Because of such culprits and mischief makers, their names are also tainted,” Kapoor said Kolkata while promoting his forthcoming release Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

“I have no idea...I also read from the newspapers... I have nothing to say about that. It’s not about Bollywood, it’s about a human being. It’s shameful...,” said Kapoor.