The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) identified two bookmakers from both venues, Mumbai and Jaipur during Indian Premier League (IPL) matches and evicted them from the stadiums.
Reportedly, two bookies were evicted from the President’s box at the Wankhede Stadium in a match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians while the other two bookmakers were ousted from the Jaipur Stadium during a match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals.
Surprisingly the President’s box in Mumbai is right beside the player’s dressing room while the whole box is for the invitees during the match in the stadium.
These bookies mostly acquire access to the stadiums during the matches to eradicate time-delay which is often seen in live broadcasting and this activity by the bookies is infamously known as ‘pitch-sliding’.
In 2013, the league was shaken by a massive spot-fixing scandal where three players of Rajasthan Royals were detained and eleven bookies were arrested as well in the case.
This resulted in two IPL franchises, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings getting banned for two years amid the spot-fixing scandal and it played a massive role in tarnishing the reputation of the league.
Allocations of passes in luxury boxes are a serious concern following the incident while there is still no legislation to stop the bookies from ‘pitch-sliding’ in a country where betting is illegal.
