Rajasthan Royals player rejected offer to fix IPL matches

Sreesanth received a life ban in 2013

It looks like spot-fixing from previous editions of the IPL is still casting a shadow over the most watched T20 league in the world. Rajasthan Royals players seem to be the target of bookies yet again as the Jaipur-based franchise have been hit by another controversy even before they have played a game in the eighth edition of the tournament.

Royals player approached by Ranji teammate

According to reports in The New Indian Express, one of RR's Mumbai-based players was approached by a Ranji teammate, who is not part of the IPL, last month. The player was offered money to fix a game, but he declined the offer and informed senior officials of his franchise who later reported this incident to the Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) of the BCCI.

In the questioning that followed, it was revealed that the two players played in the Ranji Trophy together. Ravi Sawani, the chief of ACSU unit, has declined to comment on the issue.

In 2013, three players of the Royals – S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila – were found guilty of spot-fixing which resulted in life bans for Sreesanth and Chavan. The scandal had made news worldwide and saw the Supreme Court of India get involved.

A thorough investigation and verdict saw former BCCI President N. Srinivasan step down from his role after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was found guilty of betting on matches in the IPL.

Rahul Dravid, former India captain and mentor of the Rajasthan Royals, had asked for exemplary punishment to tackle fixing last week.

“One of the most important things is we need to have stricter laws that deal with issues like match-fixing, spot-fixing. And we need to have those laws in place that in the long term can act as a deterrent,” Dravid said. “There are consequences in cricket (for wrongdoing) and you pay the price.”

Rajasthan Royals release statement

Rajasthan Royals CEO Raghu Iyer released a statement clarifying the situation. The statement reads as follows:

Over a month ago, a player from Rajasthan Royals was approached inappropriately by a player (who was not part of the IPL) in connection with the Indian Premier League 2015 matches.

Maintaining high standards of integrity, the player informed the Rajasthan Royals management of this inappropriate approach. In keeping with applicable IPL Regulations, Rajasthan Royals management immediately reported the incident to the Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) of the BCCI.

Rajasthan Royals commends the player for having reported this incident immediately and for his honesty and uprightness. His dedication to maintain the highest standards of integrity needs to be lauded.

Rajasthan Royals in keeping with its zero tolerance approach immediately reported the incident further to the ACSU/BCCI for further process. Rajasthan Royals will continue to provide full support and assistance to the BCCI to ensure that the game of cricket is played in the right spirit. This incident does highlight that if players and other officials cooperate and disclose information or approaches immediately, the game can be kept clean and free from undesirable elements and activities.