IPL 2025: Hyderabad businessman with betting links trying to lure players, team staff?

Less than a month into the Indian Premier League (IPL), the in-house anti-corruption wing of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly asked the team managements to keep a certain Hyderabad-based businessman at bay. According to Cricbuzz, the BCCI officials have communicated that the businessman in question is looking to trap not just players, but also commentators and owners, and involve them in corrupt practises. 

 

The concerned authorities believe that the person has links with bookies and got a dubious past. The BCCI officials have noticed that the businessman has been spotted at hotels and match venues in an effort to get close to the team managements, staff and players. It is suspected that he wants to get close to his targets passing off as a fan and then lure them with gifts or favours to get close to them. The BCCI has asked the stakeholders to report any suspicious interaction with him.

 

Though the identity of the businessman has not been revealed so far, various names are doing the rounds in the cricketing circles after the report became public. Apart from increasing curiosity about his identity, there are also questions on why action hasn’t been taken against the businessman if he was seen attempting to cross the line. The latest action of BCCI brings back the memories of match-fixing scandals that rocked the IPL some years back. In 2013, Delhi police arrested three players of Rajasthan Royals on the charges of spot-fixing and betting. Later, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings also faced a two-year ban after a committee constituted by Supreme Court found evidence of match-fixing against officials of the two teams. 

Sports