The BCCI has been quick to confirm that a Rajasthan Royals player did receive an “inappropriate approach” from a fellow player a month back but the parent body will find it difficult to probe the matter due to absence of ACSU sub-committee, which is yet to be formed. While BCCI announced the various list of sub-committees on April 6, there were four committees that were kept on hold, notable being the Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU) sub-committee which is now one of the vital units of BCCI.
With IPl opening ceremony slated on the very next day, it was inexplicable as to why the ACSU sub-committee was not announced. An IPl Governing Council Member made it clear that they knew nothing about it a month back and now that know about it, they would have to wait as this BCCI sub-committee has not been formed. “It is a very serious issue but the funniest part is that the ACSU sub-committee has not been formed. A lot of IPl Governing Council members found it bizarre that ACSU sub-committee which should have been formed before any other committee as the IPl was starting off has not been formed yet. As to why it has not been formed, only Jagmohan Dalmiya can answer,” the IPl governing council member said on conditions of anonymity.
He said that even IPl chairman Rajeev Shukla’s hands are tied till the committee is formed. “Once they form the ACSU committee, then they would probe the matter and after that the report will be placed to the IPl Governing Council. Since I was also a member of previous committee, atleast we never discussed it during the last session. If Ravi Sawani, the ex-ACSU boss knew about it, then I don’t know,” the member said.
About Sawani’s current status, the member was in the dark. “When the player reportedly informed Sawani, he was the BCCI’s ACSU chief but is he still in the post technically.Ally formed. Now Sawani was made the ACSU chief by former president N Srinivasan. So there is every possibility that Dalmiya might want someone else to become the ACSU chief,” the official said.
‘BCCI eduction showing result’
BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the player’s action showed that the Board’s efforts to educate players over perils of spot-fixing are paying off. “We are happy to note that the prompt action of the player is an outcome of the ongoing initiative of the BCCI to educate cricketers at various levels to reject and report any such incident or approach made by individuals who intend to damage the fabric of the game,” Thakur was quoted as saying in his press release.
Though Thakur did not reveal the identity of the Mumbai-based player, Rajasthan Royals has five cricketers from the city — Ajinkya Rahane, Pravin Tambe, Dinesh Salunkhe, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar. Rajasthan Royals also confirmed the development and promised zero tolerance. “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,” RR CEO Raghu Iyer said in a statement.
“...the player informed the RR 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. “Rajasthan Royals commends the player for having reported this incident immediately and for his honesty and uprightness,” he added.
We’ll ensure a clean IPl: Shukla
IPl Chairman Rajeev Shukla, “The anti-corruption and security unit of BCCI is taking this incident as a success of their policy to create awareness among the players. The players have been educated that whenever anybody approaches them with wrong intentions, they should immediately inform the anti-corruption authority,” Shukla said.