The Indian Premier League (IPL) was established in 2008. It was after India won the T20 World Cup in 2007. The league combined cricket with entertainment and commercialism. But in 2013, the Delhi Police arrested three cricketers from the Rajasthan Royals franchise. They were S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan. They were charged with spot-fixing.
The Mumbai Police also arrested Vindu Dara Singh, diamond dealer Priyank Sepany, and Gurunath Meiyappan. Meiyappan was the team principal of Chennai Super Kings. He was charged with illegal betting. Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, was also arrested.
The RM Lodha Committee imposed a two-year suspension on the teams involved. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended. The three players were acquitted by the Patiala House Court. However, in January 2016, the BCCI gave Ajit Chandila a life ban.
Several bookies were arrested. Sunil Bhatia admitted to fixing matches in the IPL, Indian Cricket League, and Bangladesh Premier League. Vinod Mulchandani was arrested in Ahmedabad. Cash, laptops, and mobile phones were seized from him.
Call records showed that Vindu Dara Singh was in frequent contact with Gurunath Meiyappan. The Mumbai Police summoned Meiyappan. He was arrested on May 24, 2013, for betting, conspiracy, and cheating. CSK distanced itself from him. They claimed he was only an honorary member of the management team.
Raj Kundra was interrogated on June 5, 2013. He allegedly confessed to betting on his own team. He was suspended by the BCCI on June 10, 2013.
On March 25, 2014, the Supreme Court told N. Srinivasan to step down as BCCI President. He was Meiyappan’s father-in-law. The Court said his continued presence was “nauseating” and could affect the investigation.
In October 2013, the Supreme Court formed a committee led by Justice Mukul Mudgal. It included L. Nageswara Rao and Nilay Dutta. Sourav Ganguly also assisted the investigation.
The committee submitted its report in February 2014. It cleared Srinivasan of direct involvement in spot-fixing. However, it noted that BCCI officials knew about Meiyappan’s betting but did nothing. Meiyappan was exonerated from spot-fixing but was found guilty of betting. Raj Kundra was also found to have connections with bookmakers.
Dhoni Reveals How the 2013 IPL Scandal Affected Him
MS Dhoni broke his silence on the 2013 IPL fixing scandal. He called it the most difficult and depressing phase of his life. He spoke about it in a docudrama called “Roar of the Lion.” The series focuses on the scandal and Chennai Super Kings’ comeback after a two-year suspension.
Dhoni said 2013 was the most difficult phase in his life. He had never been as depressed as he was then. He compared it to the 2007 World Cup, where India lost in the group stages. But he said that happened because they did not play well. In 2013, the angle was completely different. People were talking about match-fixing and spot-fixing. It was the most talked-about thing in the country.
Dhoni said they deserved punishment but questioned the quantum of it. He said there was a mixed feeling when they learned CSK would be banned for two years. He questioned what the team did wrong. He said there was a mistake from the franchise, but were the players involved? He asked what mistake the players made to go through all that.
Dhoni said fixing a match requires the involvement of the majority of players. He said his name also came up in talks of fixing. He said spot-fixing is possible, but match-fixing needs the involvement of most players.
Dhoni said his silence may have been misunderstood. He said people think he is strong and often do not ask how he is doing. He did not want to talk about it to others, but it was scratching him inside. He did not want anything to affect his cricket.
In a trailer for the documentary, Dhoni called match-fixing a bigger crime than murder. He said cricket gave him everything. The biggest crime he can commit is not murder but match-fixing. It has a bigger impact because people lose faith in the game.
Dhoni said Gurunath Meiyappan was part of the team, but in what capacity is debatable. He said they all knew him as the son-in-law of N Srinivasan. He did not know if anyone introduced him as the owner or team principal.
Dhoni called his association with CSK like a match made on a matrimonial site. He described it as an arranged marriage.
FAQs
Q. What was the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case?
A. Players were accused of manipulating specific events for money.
Q. Which Rajasthan Royals players were arrested?
A. S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan were arrested.
Q. Which IPL teams were suspended?
A. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were suspended for two years.
Q. Who was Gurunath Meiyappan?
A. Gurunath Meiyappan was linked to Chennai Super Kings and found guilty of betting.
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