No IPL this year? IPS officer seeks order to restrain BCCI from holding matches

CHENNAI: Senior IPS officer G Sampath Kumar has approached the Madras High Court seeking restraining orders on the upcoming matches of the Indian Premier League. In a public interest litigation filed in court, he has stated that the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) should not conduct the IPL matches until precautionary measures are brought in place to prevent betting and spot-fixing. All the eight IPL teams have been made party respondents in the PIL. 

Sampath has claimed that as an investigating officer from Chennai, he had exposed the IPL betting scam. The then superintendent of police (SP) in the ‘Q’ branch of the Tamil Nadu Police, Sampath Kumar had then been suspended for four years for allegedly taking bribes from bookies accused in the IPL betting scam in 2013. However, he was reinstated in March 2018 after the charges against him were dismissed. During the investigations into the scam, names of several prominent cricketers, among others, had surfaced.

Sampath has said that he is not seeking a ban on the IPL but only wants a system to be brought in function before the new season begins to prevent cases of betting. He added that he wants an interim order from the court to restrain the BCCI from conducting the matches without bringing the system into operation. The plea is expected to be heard on Wednesday.

The 11th season of the IPL is scheduled to begin on April 7. The opening match will be held between defending champions Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium.