IPL 2021: Bookies Used A Cleaner To Make The “Pitch-Sliding” During The IPL Game In Delhi – BCCI

May 5, 2021 at 5:46 PM

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IPL 2021: Bookies Used A Cleaner To Make The “Pitch-Sliding” During The IPL Game In Delhi – BCCI

IPL 2021, which has been postponed indefinitely, witnessed potential corruptors plugging an accredited cleaner at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground for doing “pitch-siding” which helps ball-to-ball betting, BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit chief Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala has revealed.

The new modus operandi was observed during one of the IPL 2021 games at New Delhi where a designated cleaner was using the time lag between actual match action and live TV coverage to help in ball-by-ball betting, which is also known as court-siding or pitch siding.

Delhi Police arrested 2 people with fake accreditation cards during RR vs SRH IPL match on May 2.© AFP
Delhi Police arrested 2 people with fake accreditation cards during RR vs SRH IPL match on May 2.© AFP

IPL 2021 Saw Betting Too As Delhi Police Arrested 2 Persons While An Offender Fled From ACU Officer’s Grasp Leaving 2 Mobiles Behind In A Separate Incident

Pitch-siding is the practice of transmitting information from sporting events for the purpose of gambling or directly placing bets.

“One of my ACU officers caught a person and handed over the details to Delhi Police. While that particular offender managed to flee leaving behind his two mobile phones, ACU lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police,” Hussain, a former DG of Gujarat Police, told PTI on Wednesday.

“We are thankful to Delhi Police that in a separate incident they caught two other persons from the Kotla on ACU tip-off.”

Captains Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad) will hope to revive their respective teams. Courtesy: IPL Photos
Captains Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad) will hope to revive their respective teams. Courtesy: IPL Photos

The Delhi Police arrested two people with fake accreditation cards during the IPL 2021 match between Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad on May 2.

“So on two separate days, these people managed to get access to Kotla. The one who fled came in the garb of a cleaner. However, we have all his details as he was employed for the tournament. His Aadhar Card details have been handed over to Delhi Police,” Hussain said.

“I am confident that he will be nabbed in a day or two. He is a small fry working for a couple of hundred or some thousand bucks maybe,” the ACU supremo said.

But he did agree that lower-rung staff might be used by a bigger syndicate since, because of COVID-19, there is no access to hotels given the bio-secure measures in place.

“As situations and circumstances change, so does the modus operandi of crime. But we are up for it,” Hussain said.

The question arises how did cleaning staff come under the ACU radar.

“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 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 occured.

It was more interesting as he was wearing the IPL accreditation card which all the class IV staff are given during the tournament from bus drivers, to cleaners, and porters among others.

“It was one of the evening matches in Delhi. He was wearing an I-card. Also what raised suspicion was he had two mobiles,” he said.

“The information he may be supplying could be to someone more influential among bookmakers and so we needed to inform the Delhi Police. Delhi Police has responded positively and thus next instance two people were arrested.”

In the May 2 match at Delhi, Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 55 runs, claiming their 3rd victory in IPL 2021. Captain Kane Williamson replaced the previous captain David Warner who was even axed from XI and won the toss, electing to put Rajasthan at batting first.

Jos Butler scored 124 runs off 64 balls. Captain Sanju Samson also contributed to the runs board, scoring 48 runs off 33 balls. By the end of the first inning, Rajasthan had scored a total of 220 runs for 3 wickets off 20 overs.

Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala: ACU Didn’t Receive Any Complaint Of Corrupt Approaches To Players Or Staff

Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala also confirmed that the ACU didn’t receive any complaint of corrupt approaches being made to players or support staff involved in IPL 2021 during the 29 games that were held.

“Obviously with bio bubble and no crowd around, it certainly becomes a bit easier to manage as there is no physical proximity of (face to face meeting with players) questionable characters. When there is a crowd, it becomes difficult to check anyone and everyone,” Hussain said.

Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala, a 1973 batch IPS officer, retired as Gujarat DGP in December 2010. - SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Shabbir Hussain Shekhadam Khandwawala, a 1973 batch IPS officer, retired as Gujarat DGP in December 2010. – SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

He also said that during the Mumbai leg of IPL 2021, the hotel in which the SunRisers Hyderabad team was staying had three people with questionable past records and whose names were there in the ACU database. However, they couldn’t come in contact with the players.

“The moment we had information, we got in touch with Mumbai Police. The Police Commissioner of Mumbai took immediate cognisance and the Mumbai Police got hold of those three,” he added.

The IPL 2021 season had to be suspended after 29 games in the campaign. The remaining 31 games of IPL 2021 are likely to either be held before this year’s T20 World Cup or after it.

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