Well, the lid off the Indian Premier League's (IPL's) worst kept secret has been blown off once and for all and how with the Delhi police commissioner's press conference about clandestine and prearranged signals, transferring payments through the infamous hawala route and unholy nexus between the bookies and trio of cricketers who have been apprehended.........
Yes, a lot was said and a lot more alluded to, but, pardon me for playing the role of the doubting thomas, but to a trained and cynical journalist like me a lot of what the commissioner said simply does not seem to ring true.......
Most if not all of the 24 hour English news channels were having a field day quoting highly placed sources in both the Delhi as well as Mumbai police forces, the names of two foreign cricketers representing Rajasthan Royals namely Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg were doing the rounds, then what transpired between 1:30 and 3:15 that the Delhi Police Commissioner chose to give these two cricketers a clean chit and also categorically state the fact that only the three arrested cricketers were the only one's associated with the oft discussed spot fixing........
For the uninitiated; spot fixing means deciding the outcome in advance of a particular over, ball, pace of innings of a batsman at various stages of his sojourn/stint at the crease, dropping catches at crucial stages of an opposing team's innings, bowling no balls and wides at various stages as an innings unfolds and last but not the least missing run outs that a seemingly blind person couldn't have missed.......
Payments are made well in advance in most if not all cases and the upfront payment of 50% of the amount decided upon is the norm rather than the exception, the actions of the player/s who have already been fixed may or may not alter or influence the ultimate outcome of the match in question and pre decided signals or signs signal the onset or beginning of such incidents of spot fixing..........
What the police commissioner also failed to shed light upon was the fact why a cricketer like Sreesanth who already earns a princely amount of Rs. 2.2 crore for playing 50-55 days of cricket during a calendar year in the Rajasthan Royals colours would jeopardise his future for a measly amount of Rs. 40 lakh that works to less than 1/5th of what he would make during an IPL season..........
One can buy the story of Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan falling prey to the vile charms of these bookies as they were paid the measly and insignificant amount of Rs. 20 lakh per IPL season and amounts of Rs. 50 and 60 lakh must have seemed like a windfall to them.........
To give the devil it's due, I would be the first one to admit that Sreesanth is brash, arrogant, haughty, downright stupid and arrogant, but the very same Sreesanth is also one of those cricketers who has never been afraid of calling a spade a spade and wears his patriotism and immense love for the nation on his sleeve for all to see, therefore visualising Sreesanth as a person who would betray the trust reposed in him by legions of Indian cricket fans for a measly Rs. 40 lakh is not only difficult but implausible........
And how is it that only three cricketers belonging to a particular IPL franchise which has not really been the apple of the eye of the IPL governing council are involved in spot fixing, the league has 9 teams and more than 220 odd cricketers represent these franchises and still only three of them are found to have fallen for the vile yet persuasive charms of these bookies, too much of a coincidence for a cynic like me.......
The Delhi police certainly deserve to be lauded for a job well done and blowing the lid off the unholy nexus that exists between gullible cricketers and unscrupulous bookies who are always looking to ensnare such gullible fools, but is the Delhi police commissioner telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the absolute truth; well the jury is still out on that one as far as cynics and sceptics like me are concerned........
Yes, a lot was said and a lot more alluded to, but, pardon me for playing the role of the doubting thomas, but to a trained and cynical journalist like me a lot of what the commissioner said simply does not seem to ring true.......
Most if not all of the 24 hour English news channels were having a field day quoting highly placed sources in both the Delhi as well as Mumbai police forces, the names of two foreign cricketers representing Rajasthan Royals namely Shaun Tait and Brad Hogg were doing the rounds, then what transpired between 1:30 and 3:15 that the Delhi Police Commissioner chose to give these two cricketers a clean chit and also categorically state the fact that only the three arrested cricketers were the only one's associated with the oft discussed spot fixing........
For the uninitiated; spot fixing means deciding the outcome in advance of a particular over, ball, pace of innings of a batsman at various stages of his sojourn/stint at the crease, dropping catches at crucial stages of an opposing team's innings, bowling no balls and wides at various stages as an innings unfolds and last but not the least missing run outs that a seemingly blind person couldn't have missed.......
Payments are made well in advance in most if not all cases and the upfront payment of 50% of the amount decided upon is the norm rather than the exception, the actions of the player/s who have already been fixed may or may not alter or influence the ultimate outcome of the match in question and pre decided signals or signs signal the onset or beginning of such incidents of spot fixing..........
What the police commissioner also failed to shed light upon was the fact why a cricketer like Sreesanth who already earns a princely amount of Rs. 2.2 crore for playing 50-55 days of cricket during a calendar year in the Rajasthan Royals colours would jeopardise his future for a measly amount of Rs. 40 lakh that works to less than 1/5th of what he would make during an IPL season..........
One can buy the story of Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan falling prey to the vile charms of these bookies as they were paid the measly and insignificant amount of Rs. 20 lakh per IPL season and amounts of Rs. 50 and 60 lakh must have seemed like a windfall to them.........
To give the devil it's due, I would be the first one to admit that Sreesanth is brash, arrogant, haughty, downright stupid and arrogant, but the very same Sreesanth is also one of those cricketers who has never been afraid of calling a spade a spade and wears his patriotism and immense love for the nation on his sleeve for all to see, therefore visualising Sreesanth as a person who would betray the trust reposed in him by legions of Indian cricket fans for a measly Rs. 40 lakh is not only difficult but implausible........
And how is it that only three cricketers belonging to a particular IPL franchise which has not really been the apple of the eye of the IPL governing council are involved in spot fixing, the league has 9 teams and more than 220 odd cricketers represent these franchises and still only three of them are found to have fallen for the vile yet persuasive charms of these bookies, too much of a coincidence for a cynic like me.......
The Delhi police certainly deserve to be lauded for a job well done and blowing the lid off the unholy nexus that exists between gullible cricketers and unscrupulous bookies who are always looking to ensnare such gullible fools, but is the Delhi police commissioner telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the absolute truth; well the jury is still out on that one as far as cynics and sceptics like me are concerned........
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