BCCI keeping a watch on global fixer Ravinder Dandiwal, says Anti-Corruption Chief

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) anti-corruption chief Ajit Singh has named Mohali-based Ravinder Dandiwal as ‘person of interest’ in a betting investigation.

The investigation is led by Australian police with a Sydney Morning Herald report saying Victoria Police have documents naming Ravinder Dandiwal in a global tennis match-fixing and betting scam.

Ravinder Dandiwal is also on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption radar and the world body even said that majority of the 50 ongoing investigations are linked to suspects in India.

“As far as I see it, such people are not hung up on sport. They are hung up on fixing and making money for themselves,” BCCI ACU chief Ajit Singh was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

Ravinder Dandiwal’s social media profile till Sunday (June 28) had listed him as general secretary of ‘Cricket Council of India’, chairman of the ‘Cricket Premier League’ and managing director of ‘Ultimate Sports Management’. That profile has been changed to ‘former owner of Cricket Council of India’.

Ravinder Dandiwal is a relative of Australia-based Harsimrat Singh, who along with one Rajesh Kumar, has been charged by Victoria Police with betting on tennis games allegedly fixed by Dandiwal.

Cricket Council of India though carries a logo deceptively similar to that of BCCI with only slight difference in the colour scheme.

“A lot of such people try to keep a logo similar to BCCI’s. There have been complaints of people posing with BCCI-like logo (on visiting cards). It can fool people,” the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Rajasthan said.

BCCI keeping watch, suspect yet to operate in India

Though Dandiwal is under BCCI watch, he is known to be operating in cricket only outside India.

“He has come to adverse notice of the anti-corruption unit in many matters. He was associated with the Afghanistan Premier League two years ago. He was also involved in a league in Nepal. We also had information he wanted to organise a league in Bangkok.

“In one scandal, where he carried players to Australia who never returned and it turned out to be an immigration scandal, for which a complaint was filed with Mohali police,” the BCCI ACU chief added.

Ajit Singh added that operating out of India would be really difficult for Ravinder Dandiwal, even when it comes to leagues not officially sanctioned by the cricket board like the Rajputana League.

“It’s not easy to do in India anymore after the Rajputana league (unauthorised league) was scuttled; because to attract players, you have to publicise and get it live-streamed or televised.

“That’s how we come to know, and once we realise it is shady, we can issue an advisory to our state units that players must not be allowed to participate. That’s generally the end of the league,” Ajit Singh added.