As the most awaited Cricket League, Indian Premier League is moving out this year the responsibility of the Anti-corruption Unit to the UAE.
Team of eight people lead by Ajit Singh along with BCCI’s hired Local liaison officers will be taking care of IPL’s anti-corruption protocols. There will no team integrity officers (TIO) this time just security liaison officers (SLO), one with each of the eight franchises.
“We have to be careful,” said Ajit Singh, head of BCCI’s anti-corruption unit (ACU). He said there are betting syndicates in UAE which have registered outlets abroad. “It becomes convenient for them (bookies). There are some (corruptors) who run their own betting exchanges there.”
IPL will be played in UAE from September 19 to November 8 and Ajit said, “It’s because teams will be in a bubble throughout. So, the SLO’s will be joining the bubble and doing the same job as TIO.”
“Teams will be moving from hotel to their practice and match venues. Apart from that, they are not allowed to move anywhere else due to the bubble. Nobody is supposed to be meeting them,” said Singh.
The estimated annual turnout of the illegal betting is Rs10 lakh crore and most of which comes from IPL itself. So, it is a big task to for ACU to stop them and to maintain the integrity of the league.
“We are told they have good curators at all the three venues, so will not need to send anyone,” Said IPL chairman Brijesh Patel. In 2014, when a part of IPL was held in UAE, BCCI sent its curator PR Viswanathan as an observer.
There has been so much curiosity between the fans from all around the world and the fun part of any game is its no predictability and IPL is known for such games only, it is filled with breathtaking moments and this is what makes it one of the best league in the world. So, making sure that none of those games are fixed is a big responsibility which ACU will be taking care of.
