Bookies have reached Dubai but no threat of corruption activities in IPL 2020: BCCI ACU Chief

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been running smoothly since its commencement on September 19. All the players are fine in the bio-secure bubble amidst the Coronavirus even as the players are being tested every now and then. Although a few cases in the CSK camp had left all worried but everything seems to be fine now.

However, apart from COVID-19 the tournament is always under threat from the bookies who approach the players to spot-fix during the games. To avoid such incidents, the BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) is working hard and its chief Ajit Singh has cleared that the things are going smoothly in that regards. However, he also confirmed that the bookies have reached Dubai but haven’t been able to start their work.

“There are bookies who have made their way to Dubai, but they have not been able to make any headway. So far it is all smooth and things are working in order. We have been working closely with not just the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), but also the local police and they have been very helpful,” he was quoted as saying by News18.

Ajit Singh admitted that working with the players in bio-secure bubble is difficult but also informed that their three teams are working across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. “We have three separate teams that is working around the three venues and keeping a track of things. We are in touch with the local police and the ECB. They are helping us and have a better liasion with the local authorities and are helping us whenever needed,” he added.

Ajit Singh feels match-fixing should be criminal offence in India

Ajit Singh also stressed on the fact that India needs a strict law criminalising match-fixing to stop the corruption activities in the sport. “In fact, we are also getting reports of police back in India tracking down betting activities which happens every time. We need a law that makes match-fixing a criminal offence as that will help put a stop to this. Action is taken as per the existing rules, but we need a law,” Ajit Singh further said.