‘Srinivasan cleared in IPL spot-fixing scandal’

Source says BCCI chief reinstated after internal probe finds no wrong-doing.

NEW DELHI: A probe ordered by India’s cricket chiefs into a betting scandal in the Indian Premier League has found no wrong-doing, allowing the return of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Narayanaswami Srinivasan, a source told AFP yesterday.

Srinivasan stepped aside temporarily as BCCI president on June 2 after his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested, and later released on bail, over alleged links to illegal bookmakers.

The probe report, which was submitted to BCCI’s acting chief Jagmohan Dalmiya yesterday, cleared Srinivasan’s India Cements, Rajasthan Royals, Meiyappan and Kundra of spot-fixing allegations, said the source.

“There is nothing in the report to implicate these people,” said the source on condition of anonymity. “I don’t think we can, or have the right, to stop Srinivasan from coming back as president now.”

The report will be placed before the Indian Premier Leagues’s (IPL) governing council in New Delhi on Friday for further action and will be released publicly later on, said Dalmiya on Sunday.

The internal probe is separate from police investigations being carried out by the Delhi and Mumbai police in the IPL scandal, with charges expected to be filed shortly.

Two Rajasthan Royals players – World Cup-winning fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan – are out on bail for their involvement in spot-fixing.

A third player, Ajit Chandila, reported to be the main conduit between the bookmakers and cricketers, is still behind bars.

The probe panel was hampered by the reluctance of Mumbai police to share information with them until charges were framed, said the source.

“We are unsure how much evidence the police has,” he said. “Would a court have granted bail to the players if there was a serious case against them?”

Police allege the players deliberately bowled badly in exchange for tens of thousands of dollars after striking deals with bookmakers.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2013.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.