Reports: Former IPL player, cricket officials in hot water over ‘cash for selection’ scandal

In what can be called a major development, one former Indian Premier League (IPL) cricketer, as well as officials of some state cricket associations, have come under the scanner in an alleged ‘cash for selection’ case. Apparently, they are accused of duping INR 10 lakh from a player with a promise of getting him selected in the Himachal Pradesh Under-23 side for the CK Nayudu tournament.

The episode came to the fore after a UP cricketer named Anshul Raj filed a complaint on July 9. He accused Ashutosh Bora, president of Gurgaon-based Secure Corporate Management, of defrauding him of INR 10 lakh with a false promise of giving him a place in the Under-23 team.

As per a report in The Indian Express, the local police filed a charge sheet in the case and subsequently, an investigation was carried out. Notices were then issued to cricket officials in Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and also those who manage the T20 Bihar Cricket League.

Former Mumbai Indians player involved in the scandal?

It was also reported that Bora and his sister Chitra, who is the company’s managing director, were arrested on September 3. They are currently locked up in a Haryana jail on charges of forgery, cheating, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation. Meanwhile, Anshul Raj, in his complaint, also claimed that Bora also promised him to draft in Sikkim’s team. However, it all turned out to be a scam.

“As I belong to a poor and simple family with big dreams and passion for playing for my nation, the accused defrauded me and my family with such a scam and sucked out a huge amount from us by overstating things. I respectfully pray that an FIR may kindly be lodged against the accused,” Anshul Raj’s complaint read.

Notably, Raj also revealed that pace bowler Javed Khan, who has played a fair amount of T20 cricket for Delhi and was even once part of the IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI), was projected as the face of Secure Corporate Management. Raj said he met Khan at Secure Corporate Management’s office.

Meanwhile, it’s not the first instance of a ‘cash for selection’ case coming out in public. Veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to intervene in the alleged “cash for selection” scam.