INDIAN cricket authorities suspended on Thursday (May 16) three players, including Test paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, for alleged spot-fixing during the ongoing Indian Premier League tournament.
Bowlers Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were the other two players suspended from the domestic Twenty20 competition.
“The three players stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty,” a statement by the authorities said.
Sreesanth, 30, was arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai along with his Rajasthan Royal teammates and the trio were being brought to the national capital for questioning, a police source told reporters.
The India paceman was arrested at a friend’s house while his teammates were taken into custody at a hotel after returning from a match on Wednesday (May 15) night against the Mumbai Indians.
The Rajasthan Royals franchise said in a statement they would co-operate fully with police in the investigation.
“We are completely taken by surprise, we will fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation,” it said.
“The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game,” the statement added.
The police have also arrested seven bookmakers in Mumbai and three in Delhi for their alleged involvement in the scandal.
Sreesanth, who played the last of his 27 Tests against England two years ago, is no stranger to controversy, and was famously slapped by his teammate Harbhajan Singh during an IPL match in 2008.
Sreesanth has also played 53 one-day internationals.
Spot-fixing, which refers to fixing any part of the game, hit the headlines in 2011 when three Pakistani players were banned after being found guilty of contriving no-balls in return for money in a 2010 Test in England.
Former captain Salman Butt got a 10-year ban, with five years suspended, and Mohammad Asif was barred for seven years, with two suspended.
Mohammad Aamer was banned for five years – the minimum punishment under the International Cricket Council code.
All three, along with their agent Mazhar Majeed, were also jailed by an English court in 2011 for spot-fixing. The three players were released last year.
