Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah suspended by the BCCI for match-fixing in the IPL

Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah suspended by the BCCI for match-fixing in the IPL: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday suspended Mumbai Ranji cricketer Hiken Shah with immediate effect as the cricketer was found guilty of “breaching BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Code”.

The Board in a statement said: “BCCI would wish to inform that Mumbai Cricketer, Hiken Shah, has been suspended with immediate effect. He was found guilty of breaching BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Code for participants. His involvement in any form of cricket, affiliated with the BCCI stands suspended till the time the disciplinary committee of the BCCI passes appropriate orders.”

The statement issued by BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur further stated that: “Hiken Shah made a corrupt approach to one of his colleagues from first-class cricket, who is also a member of one of the IPL teams. The approached player immediately informed the incident to his franchise team. The franchise team followed the process of informing the incident to the Anti Corruption Unit of the BCCI. Based on the information, BCCI President, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya, instructed ACU to conduct an immediate enquiry into the matter.”

“After a detailed inquiry into the reported incident, the inquiry commissioner found Hiken Shah guilty of “committing breach of Articles 2.1.1; 2.1.2; and 2.1.4 of the BCCI Anti-Corruption Code for participants and recommended their provisions to the BCCI President.”

The BCCI has since the IPL betting and spot fixing scandal came to light adopted stricter codes of conduct for all the players, with the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) keeping a constant eye on the movements of the players during domestic matches and especially during the IPL. The President said the BCCI has zero tolerance for corruption and is working towards making the game clean.

BCCI President, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya said, “BCCI has zero tolerance for corruption in the game of cricket. We have and we will take swift action against such incidents to set a precedent and control the menace of corruption in the game. While placing the player under suspension, I have referred the matter to the disciplinary committee of the BCCI to take further action against the player involved.”

Honorary Secretary of the BCCI, Mr. Anurag Thakur, who has been a pro-active member, said the player who was approached coming to the board shows that all of them are well educated about the corrupt elements that can approach them and in case they are approached, they know the right option is available and accessible to the players. “This particular incident demonstrates that BCCI’s education policy against corruption is showing results, as the player approached was vigilant enough to report the matter to the ACU of the BCCI. Having said that, the fight against corruption is an ongoing battle and we will not leave any stone unturned. BCCI is committed to keep cricket corruption-free.” Thakur said.

The player that is believed to have been approached by Shah with an offer to spot fix during the 8th season of the IPL, according to sources is Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Pravin Tambe. Tambe instead of considering the offer directly approached the team management who immediately reported it to the Board and further inquiries have led to Hiken Shah’s suspension.