Fallen Heroes: CSK and RR Embroiled in Spot-Fixing Scandal

(Ajit Chandila: One of the prime accused in Rajasthan Royals spot-fixing case in 2013 Indian Premier League )

Sportsmania is how you can identify a real Indian, and when it comes to cricket, hardly any fan leaves his seat during the IPL. It has also gathered a healthy audience among cricket-playing nations worldwide. IPL is a series of incidents, and every year, we witness something that could be marked as a once-in-a-while moment. Apart from some blazing knocks and fiery bowling, the audience has also witnessed some witty banter amongst national teammates turned opponents in the IPL.

However, the banter has only sometimes been accepted with good faith by the BCCI and others connected directly or indirectly to the tournament. One such event was the 2013 CSK and RR spot-fixing incident, which changed the fate of Indian Cricket forever. CSK has always been the first-bencher of the tournament due to the presence of what IPL fans love to call 'Thala,' aka the one and only MS Dhoni. But, such an accusation had shaken the team's foundation from the core. Here we go on a tour of what really happened in the biggest cricket scandal of India.

The Genesis of the CSK vs RR Spot-Fixing Controversy

Talking about the dark phase of Indian cricket, the matter came to the notice of fans when the Delhi Police arrested three main players from the Rajasthan Royals camp, Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, on May 16, 2013. This police custody of heavyweight and star cricketers like Sreesanth sent shockwaves to the Indian Cricket Community like never before. As per the reports, charges of alleged spot-fixing were brought against them.

Besides, actor Vindu Dara Singh, renowned diamond dealer Priyank Sepany and Gurunath Meiyappan, the former Principal of the CSK team, were arrested by the Mumbai Police on the charges of betting and also alleged links with the spot-fixing case. That's when the controversy surfaced, and both teams got involved in two different scandals, which attracted a lot of media attention, thus leading the BCCI to take matters into their own hands.

Unveiling The Dark Chapter of CSK

The incident left a mark on every player, staff member and even fans. One of the most impactful cases relating to the spot-fixing issue was the Meiyappan case. Meiyappan, the son-in-law of N. Srinivasan's residence, was searched, and what followed was him behind bars. As per the information received from the India Cements executive president T.S. Raghupathy, Meiyappan was nothing more than a die-hard cricket fan and a member of the management of Chennai Super Kings.

Almost immediately after the statement was passed, the CSK owners, India Cement, disowned him from the franchise. In justification of the disowning, it was said that the team might be terminated if the owner or owners act in an unfavourable way as per the franchise agreement. In May, BCCI opted for further enquiry into the case and appointed a commission consisting of three members: Justice T. Jayaram Chouta, Justice R. Balasubramanian, and BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale.

Almost a couple of months later, the probe panel formed by BCCI announced that there were no strong shreds of evidence received against Meiyappan and India Cement to support the charges brought. However, this did not receive the green signal from the Bombay High Court and was declared illegal, thus putting a question mark on their innocence. The BCCI then challenged the decision of the High Court and moved to the Supreme Court. The clean chit was handed to Meiyappan and India Cement was dismissed.

The Drama Begins

The Supreme Court formed a three-member committee to look into the matter under the former High Court judge Mukul Mudgal, popularly known as the Mudgal Committee. The other committee persons were L Nageswara Rao, the Additional Solicitor General of India, and former umpire Nilay Dutta. After a while, a charge sheet was prepared. Meiyappan was declared guilty by the Mudgal Committee in the matter and was also found to be a team official of the CSK defying the statement given by T.S. Raghupathy.

Again, a committee was formed by the Supreme Court to function under the former Chief Justice of India, RM. Lodha, to decide on appropriate punishments for the accused and their teams(Lodha Committee). On July 14, 2015, the punishments were declared, and Gurunath Meiyappan was handed a lifetime ban from any BCCI-related activity. Later, Meiyappan was put behind the bars. On June 3, 2016, Meiyappan was released on bail by the Mumbai Court.

Youth Icons of Indian Cricket Tarnished in Cricket's Darkest Hour of RR Spot-Fixing Scandal

RR has been a part of the controversy since this episode began. Three big names of the team were arrested in the beginning owing to the scandal. The World Cup-winning pacers Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were found guilty of spot-fixing by the Delhi Police, followed by their Mumbai arrest from their team hotel and their being taken to Tihar jail. The team management of RR decided to suspend the contract till there was proof of their innocence. After some time, the BCCI took the same steps.

As per claims by the Delhi Police, Chavan confessed his involvement in the case, and he and Chandila tried to get other players involved as well. This shocking confession left the cricket fans in great shock, and people started to hate the Indian cricket scene. Charges of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act were brought against the three players and 23 others who were also arrested on June 4, 2013. Connections with underworld criminals Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel were also traced while investigating the spot-fixing scandal. The BCCI assured that no corruption would be tolerated and that it would be shocked by the happenings. It also ensured severe and rightful punishments for those involved in these scandalous activities like betting and spot-fixing. Chavan was bailed on June 6 on account of his marriage.

Whereas Sreesanth and 17 others were granted bail on June 10, 2013, due to lack of evidence under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, Ankeet Chandila did not apply for bail. The Delhi Police later revealed that they had been taping phone calls since April 2013, which gave vent to the case. As per the verdict of the Court, Sreesanth and Chavan were banned for life, while Amit Singh was banned for five years. Later, their lifetime bans were reduced.

Another important accusation of the scandal on the part of Rajasthan Royals is the involvement of one of the then co-owners of the team, Raj Kundra. He faced the police questionnaire for allegedly being involved in illegal betting with IPL matches on June 5, 2013. Though Kundra was given a clean chit by the probe panel of the BCCI, it was later dismissed by the Mumbai Court as it was illegal to declare someone innocent without talking to the police. The RR team management announced that his share of the team would be taken back if proof regarding his involvement could be traced; moreover, he would be suspended for life. The Delhi Police then claimed that Raj Kundra had agreed to all the allegations brought against him in the questionnaire. As a result of his confession, he was suspended from the IPL by the BCCI on June 10, 2013.

Shocking Call Recordings in the Spot-Fixing Scandal Investigation Trembled the Cricket World

The call recordings between bookies and Chandila were found during the course of the investigation. The conversation cleared many doubts in the minds of the police and other investigators. For the first time, innocent fans came to know the dark side of the cricket world. The whole incident was a complete bullying of the cricketing code of conduct. The players were asked to bowl the first two overs with confidence and then signal the bookies by lifting their t-shirts twice and looking at the sky. However, he forgot to sign, which led to arguments, and the bookies could not place their bet.

The second conversation received was between two bookies, and they talked about advising the players on signalling the bookies for a bet. Here, the player was Sreesanth. He advised the bookies that he would keep a towel in his pocket before bowling his second over as a signal. As per plans, he put the towel in his trouser pocket and gave away 13 runs. The deal was fixed for 60 lakh INR.

The last conversation was between two accused players, Chavan and Chandila, where Chandila acted as a mediator between the player and the bookies. Here, they discuss whether to accept the deal for conceding 12 runs in an over for a huge sum of 60 Lakh INR. This came as the biggest and strongest evidence against the players, the accused management personnel, and the co-owners.

Accused player and Penalties Sanctioned

The scandal got many players, team management and common people involved. It not only ruined the sportsmanship of the tournament but also the careers of the players and the fairness of the game.

The name that comes to the top of the list is S. Sreesanth. He was banned for a lifetime by the BCCI due to his involvement in the spot-fixing and betting scandal. However, in 2019, owing to an appeal in the Supreme Court, his ban was brought down to seven years. He then resumed playing cricket for the Kerala team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy from September 13, 2020. He then officially announced his retirement from cricket in 2022.

Ankeet Chavan is another name associated with the 2013 betting scandal. Delhi Police reports that he was offered 6 million INR to give 14 runs in a match. He gave 15 runs in his second over in a game against MI. Like Sreesanth, he was also given a lifetime ban, which was later brought down by the verdict of the Court in 2021, and now he is allowed to play competitive cricket.

Another cricketer involved in this case Ajit Chandila was reportedly paid 1.5 million INR to sport-fix a match against Mumbai Indians. After his arrest, he was also put on a lifetime ban from cricket, which was later brought down to seven years by the BCCI. His ban was officially lifted on January 18, 2023.

How this Impacted Indian Cricket Scenario?

The incident affected many people outside the cricketing circle, such as umpires, team owners, and even the BCCI president. After the scandal, the BCCI secretary, Sanjay Jagdale, and treasurer, Ajay Shirke, resigned from their respective posts. Thereafter, the BCCI president, N. Srinivasan, was ordered to step down temporarily from the post to avoid controversies.

During this interval, Jagmohan Dalmiya was appointed as the temporary president of the Board Of Control for Cricket in India. After further investigation and reinvestigation by the Supreme Court, he was asked to step down permanently. Despite numerous appeals in high courts and the Supreme Court, he was not taken back to the functions of the BCCI. This time, Sunil Gavaskar takes the post of interim president for IPL season 7.

Apart from this, the contemporary IPL chairman, Rajiv Shukla, resigned to avoid scandalous allegations. Umpire Asad Rauf was also removed from the panel of umpires for the Champions Trophy to smoothen ongoing investigations.

Shreesanth's father, Shantakumaran Nair, presented his son's arrest as a conspiracy and also defamed two heavyweight players, MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, for involving him in such betting issues. Later, he took back his statement and announced a public apology to the named players.

Other than this, the two most impactful teams involved with the issue, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, were sentenced to a two-year suspension following the case. This came as a shock to CSK and RR fans. The captain of CSK, MS Dhoni, describes this controversy as one of the darkest and most depressing phases of his career.

The comeback of The Dark Heros

Such scandals and controversies impact more or less everyone connected to the game. This case was also not an exception. But what matters more is the comeback. CSK proved their entry with a blazing comeback and shattered all the controversies that had bundled up for the past two years. They announced their entry and won 11 out of 16 matches, lifting the trophy in the 2018 IPL. RR, on the other hand, made a comeback but was not as strong. They fought hard but managed to end their season on the playoff stage, finishing 4th on the league table.

But lastly, we can say that in any game and any format, players should not forget being a player, what is their real duty. It not only spoils the dignity of the game but also breaks the trust of millions of fans who love unconditionally their teams and pray every day for their success. Money can buy the luxuries but fails to justify the sport's basic criteria which is based on honesty.