Breaking: Two Gujarat Lions players named by arrested bookies for match-fixing

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been hit by yet another match-fixing scandal. The last time it happened in 2013, three players S Sressanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by the police and they were subsequently banned from the game of cricket by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Earlier this week, Uttar Pradesh police arrested three suspected bookies Ramesh Nayan Shah, a businessman from Thane Mumbai, Ramesh Kumar and Vikas Chauhan from Kanpur, from the Landmark Hotel in Kanpur. They were allegedly fixing the match between Gujarat Lions and Delhi Daredevils, which took place a couple of days ago. 

"Although Ramesh had nothing to do with pitch preparation activity, he had bragged to the bookie that his access to Green Park groundsmen will help him tamper with the pitch. Additional water would make the pitch damp and it would be a low-scoring affair," a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI.

Police recovered ₹ 40.90 lakh in cash and five mobile phones from the suspects. After interrogation, the alleged bookies have named a couple of Gujarat Lions players. One of the suspects has even claimed that these two players have agreed with their terms and tried to fix the match. Reports are suggestive of the fact that UP police will question these two players. However, the players have not been named yet. 

"The Anti-Corruption Unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been tracking activities of certain individuals, as a result of which, three suspects were arrested in Kanpur, on Thursday," an official statement from BCCI read.

"Following this operation, the Uttar Pradesh Police Crime Branch could successfully foil the alleged betting attempts of the accused."

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