In an interview to NDTV’s Barkha Dutt, actor Preity Zinta says there are no benami holdings or proxy owners in her IPL team, Kings XI. She also says that IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi should be given a fair trial (he stands accused of financial crimes) and asserts “of course IPL will survive this.”
Here’s the full transcript of the interview:
NDTV: For the past ten days the headlines of this country has been dominated by what has been called as the IPL gate, but now many people are asking how this thing is going to end. Is this is all about cleaning up the governance of cricket? Is that what’s going to happen or is political shadow boxing of a kind overtaking the entire controversy? What about the morale of the owners, where do they stand? And what will happen to Lalit Modi and the game of cricket and brand of IPL? Joining us now in her first interview since this controversy erupted is co-owner of Kings XI Punjab and well known actor and an entrepreneur Preity Zinta. Preity, It must be terribly disturbing for people like yourselves to watch what’s happening to a brand that was once the most glamorous coveted brand in this country…
Two Bookies hold stakes in Sri Lanka Premier League.
29 May 2013 01:00,
Mumbai, May 29, 2013 | UPDATED 12:38 IST There could be a angle to the Indian Premier League (IPL) , Mumbai Police sources indicated on Wednesday. According to crime branch sources, arrested actor Vindu Dara Singh has told the investigators that two bookies, named Sanjay and Pawan, were the “benami” owners of one of the franchises in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), a Twenty-20 tournament modelled on the lines of the IPL. Talking to Headlines Today over phone, former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga said the government must act to clear the suspicion involving the SLPL. He said he had forewarned about corruption when the SLPL was in the planning stage.
Sreesanth,Chandila ,Chavan and eleven bookies were arrested for spot-fining the IPL 6 Matches yesterday.
Chandila,Sreesanth and Chavan
Following a tip-off that the Dawood Ibrahim gang was involved in Cricket T20 IPL 6, the Police started investigations from April first week.
The Police inform that they had taped conversations of the accused with them.
Excerpts of the tapped conversations.
IPL 6 Match Fixers ,Chavan,Sreesanth and Chandila.
Here are excerpts of taped conversations allegedly between bookies and the players released by the Delhi Police today.
The police say this first conversation took place before a match between the Pune Warriors and the Rajasthan Royals on May 5, allegedly between spinner Ajit Chandila and a bookie named Amit:
The conversations reveal that,
“The conversations reveal that two bookies, Manan and Chand, “arranged” women for Sreesanth and Ajit Chandila on at least three occasions, Indian Express reported.
The conversations have references to the times of despatch and arrival of the women, police officers said.
A third player, also of the Rajasthan Royals, too accepted the services of escorts provided by the bookies, the transcripts reveal. But this player was apparently not involved in spot-fixing.
Biju alias Jiju, the alleged go-between for Sreesanth, also availed of the escorts’ services, the report said.”(IndiaTV News)
Chandila: Yes, tell me brother. Let me go. I will give the signal. Let the first over go. I will see.
Amit: Do the first over with confidence and with same confidence do the second over for us.
Chandila: Ok, Ok. I will do.
Amit: What will be your signal?
Chandila: I will pull my both T-shirts up and down and will then look up before starting the over.
In this over, Chandila, however, forgot to give the signal but allegedly gave away 14 runs as promised.
Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told reporters: “This led to a lot of arguments and demand for return of money (Rs. 20 lakh) advanced to him. Another Rs. 20 lakh was to be given after the match. Chandila had to return the money.”
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The second conversation was allegedly between Sreesanth’s close friend Jiju Janardhan, who has played in the same club as the Kerala pacer, and a bookie named Chand before a May 9 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. It was allegedly decided that Sreesanth would give away at least 14 runs in the second over he bowled.
Chand: What will be the signal?
Jiju: I have told him. He will not do anything which is unusual. He will tuck in a towel before bowling the second over.
Chand: Brother please advise him to give us some time before starting the over as we can start our booking.
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The third conversation was allegedly between players Chandila and Ankeet Chavan before yesterday’s match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. Chandila was not playing and allegedly “motivated” Chavan convincing him to give at least 13 runs in his second over.
Chavan: I am outside.
Chandila: Ok. Should I say yes?
Chavan: Yes, but how much?
Chandila: They are saying 12.
Chavan: No, I don’t think that’s possible. It will be too much.
Chandila: I have given them assurance. It will be done. Should I say yes?
Chavan: Ok. say yes.
Chandila: I have told them 60 (lakh) for one over.
Chavan: Yes Ok. I will move my wrist band as an indication. Rest we will talk on BBM.
Police said that in a later call, it was decided that Chavan will give away 14 or more runs whenever he bowls his second over.
Eleven bookies and their assistants were also arrested, said the police.
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“The investigation started after we got information that [the] Mumbai underworld was indulging in match and spot fixing,” said Commissioner Kumar. “Special cell teams were present in all the matches but we cannot say with certainty that more players or teams are not involved in match or spot-fixing. Sreesanth was arrested from Carter Road, Mumbai. One of the bookies, Jiju Janardhanan, is a very close friend of Sreesanth. More arrests will take place.”..
As revealed by the police with telephonic and video evidence from live matches, the modus was that in particular the concerned cricketer was to guarantee that he would bowl a minimum number of runs in a specific over. Through a series of non-verbal cues in the form of on-field movements, such as stretching, moving of jewellery and a wrist watch or the tucking of a towel into the trousers, the cricketers would signal to the bookies that this was the over in which they would follow the agreed plan.
The three matches on which the police focused all involved Rajasthan: against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on May 9, against Pune Warriors in Jaipur on May and against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on May 15.
Per the evidence, in the match between Rajasthan and Pune Warriors at Jaipur on May 5, the offspinner Chandila had agreed to give away 14 runs off his bowling in one over but forgot to give the signal to the bookies. In the concerned over, Chandila began with a wide down the leg side and then, with fine leg up in the circle, drifted the second ball way down the Robin Uthappa‘s pads and was swept away. The third ball was on the stumps but short in length and Uthappa cut it away to the point boundary. A dot and a single followed and the last ball was full on Aaron Finch’s pads. Again, with fine leg up, that was easy fodder for the batsman to sweep a boundary.
According to DCP Yadav, there had been a conversation between Chandila and a bookie by the name of Amit. “He [Chandila] was told to bowl the first over with lot of confidence and with the same confidence bowl for us in the next over. The player agreed to it. The bookie asked: ‘What indication would you give?] and Chandila said ‘I will lift my T-shirt before the over starts. After that I will look up and then start bowling.’ Ajit forgot to give this indication,” said Yadav.
As arranged, Chandila had conceded 14 runs. But according to the police, the fact that Chandila had not signaled that this was the over to bet on left the bookies incensed and a heated argument ensued between both parties after the match.
According to the police, in the match between Rajasthan and Punjab, Sreesanth had taken Rs 40 lakhs to give at least 13 runs in one over. In video footage of the match shown on a big screen to the media, the Delhi Police highlighted both of Sreesanth’s overs in that May 9 match in which they identified an alleged pattern of spot-fixing.
“It was decided that Sreesanth would put a towel in his trouser before bowling the second over of his spell and also give enough time to bookies to indulge in heavy betting. As decided, Sreesanth bowled the first over without wearing the towel. In the second over he put the towel in his trousers and in order to give enough time to his bookies he did some warming-up, some stretching exercises and then went on to give 13 runs,” said Commissioner Kumar to the media.
On the day, Sreesanth had bowled his first over without towel and conceded five off it. Ahead of his second over, Sreesanth had placed a towel on the right side of his body and tucked it into his trousers, followed by a brief warm-up that allegedly gave the bookies time to place big bets. In that over, he conceded 13 runs – precisely what he had been pre-arranged, as stated by Commissioner Kumar. He added, however: “We don’t have any evidence that proves Sreesanth convinced Chandila and Chavan to take part in spot-fixing.”
In Chavan’s case, the Delhi Police singled out Rajasthan’s match in Mumbai on May 15 and said the left-arm spinner had allegedly taken Rs 60 lakhs to concede at least 13 runs in his second over. After a tidy first over in which he gave just two singles, Chavan gave 15 in the next. A breakdown of that over reads: six, two, six, dot, one and dot. According to Commissioner Kumar, the advance money for this spot-fix was taken by Chandila who did not play that match; this leads the police to believe that Chandila also acted as a middle man.”
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Chandila had to give away 14 runs but he forgot to give the indication but still gave 14 runs in the Jaipur match. Police
Chandila and the bookie had a heated argument after the May 5 match: Police
Bookies gave codes to players involved in spot fixing before the match: Police
There was spot fixing in the Mohali match as well: Police
In that match, Sreesanth’s signal was to put a towel in his trouser before his over: Police
Sreesanth’s signal was for the May 9 match between RR and Kings XI Punjab: Police
Delhi Police shows videos of the matches to show that the players were involved in spot-fixing.
Sreesanth had agreed to give more than 14 runs in a particular over: Police
Ankeet Chavan agreed to give at least 13 runs in his second over in the May 15 match against Mumbai Indians: Police
He gave away 15 runs in that particular over: Police
Chavan’s over during May 15 match was fixed for Rs 60 lakh. Advance was taken by Chandila who was not playing:”
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