Sawani submits IPL spot-fixing probe report to BCCI

An internal probe report was on Wednesday submitted to the Board of Control for Cricket in India about the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal in which three Rajasthan Royals players including S Sreesanth were arrested by the Delhi Police a fortnight ago.

The fate of the report, which was completed without getting any access to the arrested players and complete evidence collected by the Delhi Police, is yet to be decided keeping in view the crisis that has engulfed BCCI.

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BCCI had appointed Ravi Sawani, a former IPS officer who probed the 2000 match-fixing case, to submit its report to the Cricket Board after analysing the probe of Delhi and Mumbai police.

The mandate of the probe was to examine allegation levelled by the Delhi Police against the three players and the three matches that have been listed by the Delhi Police, official sources said.

However, the BCCI-appointed one-man probe team could not question the three players. Sreesanth and Ajay Chandalia are in judicial custody whereas Ankeet Chavan is out on interim bail for his marriage.

BCCI had got in touch with the Delhi Police requesting them to allow examination and sahring of the evidence against the three players.

All the three have been suspended pending an enquiry.

BCCI had given a time of 15 days for Sawani to complete the probe.

According to sources, Delhi Police shared some basic details about the case which included how they stumbled on spot-fixing and involvement of the players and their subsequent negotiations.

The special cell of Delhi Police had arrested Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan -- along with bookies after their team's IPL match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on May 16.

The cricketers and bookies have been slapped with stringent MCOCA after being booked under sections 420 (cheating) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

Photograph: Harish Kotian/Rediff.com