T20 Mumbai League franchise owner called in for questioning by BCCI's Anti-Corruption Unit

Corruption cases and spot-fixing advancements to cricketer by the bookies continue to galore in the Indian T20 landscape. In a recent development, a franchise owner of one of the T20 teams in the Mumbai T20 League- the Mumbai Cricket Association-run T20 tournament- has been summoned for questioning by the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

It has been learned that the team owner of the franchise is a businessman and also a promoter in more one International T20 league. The questioning has come after one of the players reported a corrupt approach during the second edition of the tournament, earlier this year. According to the player he was approached by the franchise owner of a rival team to under-perform in a semi-final match in the T20 tournament.

“Yes, a franchise owner in the T20 Mumbai League was called (in) for questioning and investigations are in progress,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s ACU head Ajit Singh confirmed as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Not the first time that a state T20 League has been mired in fixing scandal

This, of course, is not the first time that the state-led franchise T20 tournaments have galore headlines for corruption-related issues. Earlier this year, Former India A and Karnataka wicketkeeper C.M. Gautham, Mizoram First-class cricketer Abrar Qazi, both of whom have also been part of the IPL in the past, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch for their involvement in fixing the Karnataka Premier League final between Bellary Tuskers and Hubli Tigers.

The fixing in KPL came into light with the arrest of Ali Ashfaq Thara, who was the owner of the Belagavi Panthers side. Ajit Singh, the chief of BCCIs Anti-Corruption had then said, there was “a need to examine ownership module in state-run Twenty20 leagues to safeguard them from corruption.

“These teams have been bought through open auction and they have not been auctioned by the BCCI but by the state association. I presume whoever was the highest bidder owned the franchises. So now whatever has been the module of owning these franchises need to be examined,” Singh had said as quoted by Sportstar.

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