KPL betting: Bookies blackmailed players through honey-trapping

News Network
November 21, 2019

Nov 21: In a new development in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) match-fixing scandal, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao on Wednesday revealed that players had allegedly been blackmailed through honey-trapping tactics by bookies.

The police commissioner shared new details of the scandal while announcing that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was being formed within the Central Crime Branch (CCB), which is currently investigating the match-fixing scandal that has jolted the league.

Bhaskar Rao said that bookies filmed players enjoying themselves on luxurious trips. The players were sent on trips to places like Dubai and the Caribbean. They were provided with five-star accommodation, money and escorts. Their activities were filmed and they were later blackmailed with the videos from their trips. Worried that the tapes would be leaked, the players followed bookies' instructions, the Deccan Herald reported.

The police commissioner added that some of the results of matches played in the league were decided before the matches began.

The match-fixing scandal came to light in September this year with the arrest of Belagavi Panthers owner Ali Asfak. Since then, details have slowly emerged revealing a wide web of match-fixing in the Twenty20 cricket league, by bookies.

Former Karnataka cricketers CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi were arrested by the CCB on charges of fixing in the KPL final held in March this year.

Gautam, who was the captain of Bellary Tuskers, and Abrar who plays for the same team, allegedly accepted Rs 20 lakh for "slow batting" in the final against Hubli Tigers. Bellary Tuskers lost the final by 8 runs and the manner in which they lost has now raised suspicions of a match-fixing scandal.

Chasing 153 runs, Bellary Tuskers ended their innings at 144. Opening batsman Gautam scored a 37-ball 29 while Kazi struck 13 off six deliveries.

KPL is run by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) every year on the lines of the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Bhaskar Rao said that the regulatory bodies - KSCA and BCCI - should have acted soon after the scandal came to light and confirmed that members of both bodies will be summoned for interrogation.

In all, seven people have been arrested in connection with the scam. Investigating officials had recently issued a ‘lookout circular' against the Bellary Tuskers team owner Arvind Venkatesh Reddy.

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News Network
March 27,2020

New Delhi, Mar 27: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Friday donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far claimed 17 Indian lives and wreaked havoc globally.

Tendulkar's donation is so far the biggest contribution among India's leading sportspersons, some of whom have pledged their salaries while a few others have donated medical equipment to fight the dreaded outbreak, which has caused more than 24,000 deaths globally.

"Sachin Tendulkar decided to contribute Rs 25 lakh each to Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Chief Minister's Relief Fund in his bid to join the fight against COVID-19. It was his decision that he wanted to contribute to both funds," a source privy to the development, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Tendulkar has been associated with a lot of charity work and there has been umpteen times, he has taken up social causes, helped people, which has never been brought to public notice.

Among other prominent cricketers, the Pathan brothers -- Irfan and Yusuf -- donated 4000 face masks to Baroda police and health department while Mahendra Singh Dhoni, through a Pune based NGO, made a contribution of Rs 1 lakh.

Among athletes from other disciplines, wrestler Bajrang Punia and sprinter Hima Das are some of the prominent names to have donated their salaries in the battle against the dreaded virus which has led to a 21-day national lockdown.

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News Network
February 25,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 25: In the view of 2nd PUC exams from March 4, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has approved free travel for students from home to exam centre on Monday.

"BMTC has extended free travel facility to all PUC students from their residence to examination centre on production of exam hall/admission ticket," said a press note.

BMTC has been issuing student concessional passes to travel from their residence to college at concessional rates for the benefit of students. 

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Agencies
February 7,2020

New Delhi, Feb 7: It was on February 7, 1999, that Anil Kumble became just the second bowler in the history of cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings of a Test match.

He achieved the feat against Pakistan at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, now known as Arun Jaitley cricket stadium in Delhi during the second Test of the two-match series.

India had set Pakistan a target of 420 runs in the match and the visitors got off to a steady start as openers Shahid Afridi and Saeed Anwar put on 101 runs for the first wicket.

It was then Kumble who came into the attack and wreaked havoc on the Pakistani batting line-up.

The spinner, also known as 'Jumbo' first dismissed Afridi (41) in the 25th over. After the right-handed batter's dismissal, India kept on taking wickets through Kumble and Pakistan was reduced to 128/6 in no time.

Kumble then kept on taking wickets at regular intervals and he got his tenth scalp in the 61st over after dismissing Wasim Akram.

This effort enabled India to register a win by 212 runs, and Kumble became the second bowler after England's Jim Laker to take all ten wickets in a single Test inning.

Kumble finished with the bowling figures of 10-74 from 26.3 overs.

Kumble announced his retirement from international cricket in 2008 and finished with 619 wickets in the longest format of the game.

He has the third-highest number of wickets in Tests, only behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia's Shane Warne (708).

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