IPL Spot-fixing: How bookies use women to lure IPL players (video)

IPL spot fixing - 10 latest developments in the big scandal (Watch video and read)

1. The Delhi Police is interrogating the three Rajasthan Royals players and 11 others in the massive spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the IPL. Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar was present at the special cell when Sreesanth was questioned this morning.
2. Police sources allege that Sreesanth has accused Jiju Janardhan of getting him into trouble. Jiju has played cricket for the same Kerala club as Sreesanth. On Thursday, the police released phone transcripts of a conversation purportedly between Jiju and another bookie discussing details of how Sreesanth would allegedly spot-fix in a match against the Kings XI Punjab last week.
3. Sreesanth's lawyer, Deepak Prakash, said there was no direct proof against his client and was emphatic in his rejection of any claim that Sreesanth might have confessed to spot-fixing. "I am very sorry to say that a person who hasn't committed any crime can't confess. For the sake of media also he can't confess. He is an innocent person," he said today.
4. Police sources have also alleged that Ankeet Chavan allegedly broke down while being questioned and admitted to having made a mistake. His brother, however, told NDTV that Ankeet is innocent. "Ankeet struggled to get to where he is. He is being framed. My whole family supports him," Ankeet's brother Nihaar has said.
5. BCCI chief N Srinivasan told NDTV that if found guilty, players would be given strict punishment. He however added that he would wait for the report of the disciplinary committee before taking a final decision. "If what's happened is true, greed has taken over," he said.
6. Among those being questioned today is Amit Singh, a former Rajasthan Royals player who the police suspect was the middleman between bookies and players. Police sources said Singh seemed to have been used as a "talent-spotter" by the bookies, to suggest spot-fixing to his former teammates.
7. Police sources now say all Rajasthan Royals matches in this edition of the IPL are being looked at closely. The police, during their investigations in this case over the last two months have also reportedly found out that bookies hosted a party in Mumbai in mid-April, where they invited six Rajasthan Royals players, but most did not turn up. The police are trying to find out if the players were contacted later by the bookies
8. Apart from three players and one former player, 10 bookies were arrested yesterday. Six more were detained in Chennai today and the police said at least Rs. 14 lakh in cash has been recovered in searches conducted across the city.
9. The police say they are investigating an alleged nexus between bookies and the Mumbai underworld. The police have, among the hundreds of phone conversations they intercepted in the case, traced some calls to Pakistan and Dubai they say; on Thursday, the Delhi police chief said the "mastermind" of the spot-fixing operation is abroad.
10. Police say the bookies and players had an elaborate process of signals and codes to indicate that a player would bowl a fixed over next, allowing bookies to place bets. In the case of Sreesanth, they alleged, that signal was a towel tucked into his waistband just before he began to bowl an over in the May 9 match.

Sreesanth's father blames Harbhajan, Dhoni for framing his son - Video

Father of Rajasthan Royals' fast bowler S Sreesanth has pointed finger at India captain MS Dhoni and offspinner Harbhajan Singh for having plotted his son's arrest in the spot-fixing scandal that was unearthed by Delhi Police earlier on Thursday.

Sreesanth, along with his two Rajasthan team-mates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, has been arrested on charges of spot-fixing in the ongoing edition of IPL 6 and have been suspended by the BCCI from taking any further part in the tournament pending inquiry.

IPL 2013 : S Sreesanth & Rajasthan Royals members arrested - Watch video

On May 9, at a match between the Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals played at Mohali near Chandigarh, pacer S Sreesanth ran up to bowl an over with a towel tucked into the band of his trouser.

The Delhi Police allege that this was a signal to bookies that he would now fix an over. He had bowled the previous over without the towel. (Read: Delhi Police explains spot-fixing arrests)

The deal, the Delhi Police allege, was that Sreesanth would tuck the towel to indicate spot-fixing and then would give the bookies some time to place as many bets as possible. On field, Sreesanth had warmed up a bit before beginning to bowl the over. He gave away more than 14 runs, as allegedly fixed.

The Kerala cricketer, who has played for India, was arrested today and charged with spot-fixing. Betting is illegal in India.  Two other Rajasthan players - Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan - along with 11 bookies have also been arrested. All 14 players have been sent to five-day police custody.  Betting is illegal in India.

The police claim that over months of investigations they have gathered information on spot-fixing, primarily by intercepting phone conversations. The bookies and players, they say, have codes to indicate which over will be fixed.

Like the alleged towel code. Or the one that the police claim Ajit Chandila, another Royals player arrested today, forgot. 

On May 5, when the Royals played the Pune Warriors at home in Jaipur, the police alleged that Chandila was paid an advance of Rs. 20 lakh by bookies to fix an over. They have quoted from the phone transcript of an alleged conversation where Chandila said he would pull out his two T-shirts to indicate he was beginning a fixed over.

He duly bowled the over giving away 14 runs, the police alleged, but forgot to pull out his shirts. The police claim that there was an argument on the phone after a match, in which the bookie demanded his money back.

Ankeet Chavan, the third Royal player arrested today, was promised Rs. 60 lakh to give away 13 runs in an over of the match played on Wednesday, the police alleged.

Delhi Police Chief Neeraj Kumar said today that no players from other teams were involved.

IPL 2014: Yuvraj Singh not in Pune Warriors' plans any more, reveals Dean Jones

If Dean Jones is to be believed, Yuvraj Singh will not find a place in the Pune Warriors squad in the Indian Premier League next season.
India's World Cup-winning star has been horribly out of form with the bat in IPL 2013 -- 172 runs in 10 games with a highest of 34 -- and a bowling economy rate of 6.86 this season may not be good enough. Jones reveals to NDTV that his Pune 'sources' tell him that Yuvraj is standing in the exit queue.

  

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