IPL 6: Sreesanth, 2 other players arrested for spot-fixing

S Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals players Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, along with 11 bookies, were arrested by Delhi Police earlier on Thursday on charges of spot-fixing - with the latest reports revealing one of the bookies Jiju Janardhanan to be Sreesanth's cousin and one of the key suspects.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested Sreesanth and the other two cricketers last night from Mumbai for their alleged role in spot-fixing and charged them under sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. The Police also has the electronic evidence of spot-fixing taking place, as in what was promised and what was delivered. Sources also add that Chandila held meetings with the arrested bookies and in the last meeting, which was held on May 7, the dynamics of exchange of cash were discussed.

Hours after the arrests, the BCCI suspended the three player pending inquiry. "The BCCI is shocked and saddened at the recent developments. The BCCI has zero tolerance to corruption. We will offer all co-operation to the Delhi Police and all other authorities in their investigations in this matter. The IPL Governing Council has met and decided that the cricketers found involved will be dealt with severely. As of now, the 3 players viz; Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and S. Sreesanth stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty," the Indian cricket board's press release read.

Meanwhile, Sreesanth's father blamed India captain MS Dhoni and offspinner Harbhajan Singh behind his son's arrest. "They are trying to ruin my son. From the beginning he and Dhoni have been close and knew many intimate details. Dhoni is trying to take revenge against him for this. My son has played well for India. They are trying to end his career," his father said, without explicitly saying what it had to do with this case. "Dhoni had threatened him that he would never be taken back in the Test side," he added.

Delhi Police sources, however, went on to add that these players were under the scanner for their role in spot-fixing in some of the earlier IPL match, although they did not elaborate which matches were under scrutiny.

Rajasthan Royals were also quick to send out a press release, expressing their displeasure on the scandal involving their players. "We have been informed that 3 of our players have been called in for investigation on spot-fixing in matches. We are completely taken by surprise. We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything. We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game," the official statement from the Rajasthan franchise read.

Sports Minister Jitender Singh also urged the BCCI to take strong action against those found guilty. "It is very unfortunate that the Delhi Police have arrested some cricket players for their alleged role in the spot-fixing in the ongoing IPL tournament. The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Jitendra Singh has spoken to the Chairman of the IPL Shri Rajeev Shukla on the issue and impressed upon him to take urgent steps to put in place a mechanism to prevent such unethical activities and ensure clean sports in the country," the Sports Ministry release said.