Six glaring instances in cricket which Amazon Originals Inside Edge throws light on

Amazon Originals came up with a unique TV series by the name of Inside Edge which is based on the functioning of Franchise named “Mumbai Mavericks” in a fictional IPL style league named Powerplay League. Even though it is a work of fiction, some of the events portrayed in the series direct towards some of the most infamous events occurred in the recent history of cricket. From drugs, sex and betting scandals, the ten-episode series encompasses all the dark side of the sport and gives the viewers a unique dimension to the game which would make us ponder about the working and governance of the game. “Not all that glitters is gold” as they say. Keeping the plot of Inside Edge on the back of our mind, let us look at some the instances in cricket’s history, which the show tries to throw light on. 1. Bob Woolmer’s murder mystery Bob Woolmer. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images for ICC) In one of the last few episodes of Inside Edge, the coach of the “Mumbai Mavericks” named Niranjan Suri, played by actor Sanjay Suri, was murdered by the Team owner Vikrant Dhawan, as he refused to cooperate with the directions specified by the owner, who was the lynchpin of the fixing and betting ring. This takes us back to the instance about a decade back during the World Cup of 2007 held in West Indies. Post-Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup after being defeated by Ireland, Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room the next day. Many suggested that the move to kill Bob Woolmer was to silence the coach who had information about the match fixing syndicate. Woolmer was also the South African coach when Hansie Cronje was charged for accepting money in order to alter the result of the match. 2. Sreesanth’s Spot Fixing Case IPL spot-fixing case. (Photo Source: Sportskeeda) In one of the episodes of Inside Edge, Mumbai Mavericks spinner Devender Mishra signals the bookies by untucking his shirt to bowl an over where he would concede over 12 runs in the over as decided earlier by the bookies. This instance was directed at the infamous Spot Fixing scandal which defamed the IPL in 2013 Season. Three of Rajasthan Royals players were accused of engaging in Spot fixing. Sreesanth took out a white towel and tucked it in his trouser to signal the bookies to start their procedures. He was asked to leak 14 runs in the over and the former Indian international leaked 15. Ajit Chandila, in turn, untucked his jersey twice and bowled the over which was decided by the bookies. Amit Chavan played the role of the mediator between the players and bookies. Watch the video here 3. Mohammad Amir’s no-balls in England. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images) The show also portrays rookie fast bowler from UP hinterland, Prashant Kanaujia, who joins the Mavericks due to his raw talent and pace. He intends to treat his UP teammate Devender Mishra as his mentor and latter, in turn, takes him under his wings. However, the senior statesman wanted him to deliver no-balls and eventually engaged him to spot fix for the bookies. The story can be traced back to Pakistan’s infamous English tour of 2010 where their captain Salman Butt exploited the gullibility of young Mohammad Amir and asked him to bowl no bowls. Mohammad Asif too was involved in the scandal and the trio faced jail time in England after the sting operation. Amir’s life ban was lifted eventually and the left arm pace bowler came back playing international cricket. Watch the video here 4. Luke Pomersbach molestation and brawl charges Luke Pomersbach. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) Post Mumbai Mavericks victory over the Chennai franchise, amidst wild celebration in a pub, some of the players engage in a brawl with the locals of Chennai, accusing the players of their misbehavior. The after parties of the tournament has been a topic of discussion but has tapered off a bit in the recent years. Former Western Australia and Royal Challengers Bangalore left handed batsman Luke Pomersbach grabbed all the headlines due to an infamous incident. In an after party of IPL 2012, Luke Pomersbach was arrested for allegedly misbehaving with a US woman and engaged in a fist fight with her fiancee. The man was severely beaten up by the powerful left hander. 5. Gurunath Meiyappan spot fixing case (Photo Source: Twitter) Inside Edge also shows us the game is corrupt from grassroots to the franchise owner level. Vikrant Dhawan, played by Vivek Oberoi, does not directly interact with the players for his directions but instructs his right-hand man Pritish, who hovers within the vicinity to play the role of an intermediate between the players and the owner, striking lucrative deals to the players which the former cannot refuse. This instance can be related to Chennai Superking team principal Gurunath Meiyappan in the infamous edition of 2013. Meiyyapan was later arrested for alleged involvement with betting and gambling syndicate. Chennai Superkings and Rajasthan Royals were later relegated from the league for a couple of years 6. Uncanny resemblance with Preity Zinta The protagonist of Inside Edge, played by Richa Chadda, portrays an ambitious owner of the cricket team with Bollywood background, who can go far and wide for the greater good of the team. Also, her popularity fades away in due course as she engages in a public spat with co owners. Preity Zinta, who is the part owner of Kings XI Punjab franchise, also had a similar story in the 10 years of IPL. In an event in 2009, Ness Wadia, then boyfriend, slapped Preity Zinta and the two broke up two months hence. In 2014, Preity Zinta lodged a complaint against former boyfriend for molestation, abuse and use of derogatory words. Preity came out of the controversy as a headstrong woman and a thorough professional businesswoman much like the protagonist of Inside Edge, Zarina Malik.

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Six glaring instances in cricket which Amazon Originals Inside Edge throws light on

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3. Mohammad Amir’s no-balls in England.

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