Talking to dna on Friday, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur lauded Player 1's decision to report the 'approach' to the team management and hoped this would encourage the others to follow suit. "A player was approached and he immediately intimated the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). This simply shows that our education programme to make players understand their duty is working well," Thakur said.
A day after reports emerged that a Mumbai-based player representing Rajasthan Royals reported a 'fixing' approach made by his Ranji Trophy teammate, the BCCI is blowing its own trumpet by citing it as a positive outcome of its "education programme" that has made players aware of the perils of corruption.
Nothing wrong in that, really.
But not a single BCCI official is willing to answer the tough questions. And there are quite a few:
1. If the 'approach' was made during the Ranji Trophy, then why didn't Player 1 report the 'approach' made by Player 2 to his team manager, head coach, captain or any of the Mumbai Cricket Association officials? After all, he was on Mumbai, not Rajasthan Royals, duty at that point in time.
2. Why did the BCCI sit on this revelation all these days and acknowledge it only on Friday, the day the news report was published and, also, the day the Royals played their first game of the season?
3. Who are Players 1 and 2? The BCCI can, perhaps, conceal the identity of Player 1 because he obviously did the right thing by not taking the bait. But what's taking the BCCI so long to name the black sheep? Even the MCA is desperate to know who the players are.
Talking to dna on Friday, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur lauded Player 1's decision to report the 'approach' to the team management and hoped this would encourage the others to follow suit. "A player was approached and he immediately intimated the BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). This simply shows that our education programme to make players understand their duty is working well," Thakur said.
Even though Thakur did not reveal the identities of Players 1 and 2, dna can confirm that five Mumbaikars are part of the Royals set-up. Only three of them played in the Ranji Trophy this season. Given that 28 players represented Mumbai in the premier domestic competition, it's impossible to shortlist the non-IPL player who made the said 'approach'.
Another question that will hound the BCCI in the days to come is: "Has the board lodged an FIR in this regard?".
Mind you, a key member of the Mukul Mudgal Committee has posed this.
"What action has the BCCI taken so far? Has Player 2 been suspended or reported to police?" he asked dna. The investigator added, "I was taken aback when I heard that Rajiv Shukla was back as IPL chairman. He was at the helm of affairs when the spot-fixing scandal broke out a couple of years ago. Giving him the top job shows the BCCI in a very bad light."
MCA officials expressed shock at the BCCI's callousness. "We have heard nothing from them. If the players involved are from Mumbai, then we have the right to know their names. Also, they were representing Mumbai when the said incident took place. We will not tolerate corruption. We will initiate an inquiry against the player who made the 'approach'. We would also want to hear from the other player as to why he didn't report the incident to the team management or the MCA," a top official said.
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