The IPL and controversy seem to go hand in hand, as the cash rich T20 competition has already bagged the headlines for the wrong reason with reports stating that a Rajasthan Royals player was offered money by a Ranji teammate to play in a pre-determined pattern.
Initially the RR player thought it was a joke, according to a report in the Indian Express. The player, who is based in Mumbai according to the report, then realised it was a serious offer, and after rejecting it, reported it to the BCCI's anti-corruption team via a senior Rajsathan Royals franchise official.
Rajasthan Royals CEO Raghu Iyer confirmed about the same releasing a statement as well.
"Over a month ago, a player from Rajasthan Royals was approached inappropriately by a player (who was not part of the IPL) in connection with the Indian Premier League 2015 matches," read a statement from Rajasthan Royals CEO Raghu Iyer.
"Maintaining high standards of integrity, the player informed the Rajasthan Royals management of this inappropriate approach. In keeping with applicable IPL Regulations, Rajasthan Royals management immediately reported the incident to the Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) of the BCCI.
The CEO even lauded his player for showing intergrity.
"Rajasthan Royals commends the player for having reported this incident immediately and for his honesty and uprightness. His dedication to maintain the highest standards of integrity needs to be lauded.
"Rajasthan Royals in keeping with its zero tolerance approach immediately reported the incident further to the ACSU/BCCI for further process. Rajasthan Royals will continue to provide full support and assistance to the BCCI to ensure that the game of cricket is played in the right spirit.
"This incident does highlight that if players and other officials cooperate and disclose information or approaches immediately, the game can be kept clean and free from undesirable elements and activities."
Such issues have cropped up before in the IPL and with the Rajasthan Royals, who were at the receiving end of a major spot fixing scandal in 2013. Three of their players, Ajit Chandila, S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan were also arrested for their involvement in match fixing, and now this latest Ranji Trophy player offer has further muddied the waters.
Ironically, the mentor of the Rajasthan Royals had stated the need for stricter laws for such cases a few days back. "One of the most important things is that we need to have stricter laws that deal with issues like match fixing, spot fixing. And we need to have those laws in place that in the long term act as a deterrent," Indian Express quoted Dravid as saying.
One hopes that the current Ranji player is dealt by the BCCI in such a manner that a cricketer thinks twice before committing any such offence again.
Though the Ranji player who approached the Rajasthan Royals has not been named, several reports suggest he is not a part of the IPL 2015 season.
"There are consequences in cricket (for wrong doing) and you pay the price," Dravid had added when expressing his feelings over the fixing problem in cricket, particularly the IPL.
"IPL attracts a lot of hype, media attention and wrong elements as well. We have to be vigilant at all times. We have the system, the education programme and everyone is making an effort. We have to recognise that there are undesirable elements who want to come into the game.
"One of the important things Is that IPL is just for two months and at other times the players are away from franchises. Things like education and vigilance need to be followed by not only IPL but others too."
