A player in TNPL was found using a unreported mobile phone in Player and Match Officials Area.
ACSU authorities are also monitoring who players and team officials meet in their hotels during these T20 games.
“The ACSU (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) has found increasing instances of bookies and suspicious persons getting in touch with the players, team owners, and managers, which is against the code of conduct and rules governing the game. It is the first time that ACSU is covering all matches at state leagues, unlike previously when only Test matches, IPL, and other main games were covered thoroughly,” sources told Indian Express.
According to sources, "some teams" in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) had been "under the ACSU's watch for suspected corruption-related activities" since the previous season, which prompted the crackdown.
According to them, the anti-corruption unit has good grounds to think that the alleged bookie-player-owner connection extends beyond the TNPL. The TNPL's tenth edition is being held in Chennai and Dindigul until August 23.
After the IPL and the national domestic T20 tournament for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, state association-run leagues are the third level of T20 competition. Before the domestic season begins, Mumbai, Saurashtra, Bengal, Andhra, Karnataka, Delhi, UP, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Jharkhand hold their own T20 leagues from June to August.
Sources claim that bookies use the promise of "quick money" to entice players and team owners, many of whom are club-level cricket players.
“Because of the level at which they operate, some of the owners, organizers, and players are vulnerable and may fall for offers from bookies. Several of them are under ACSU’s watch for violations. Their activities are being closely monitored, and whoever is found guilty shall not be spared,” sources said.
A Tamil Nadu all-rounder who made his Ranji Trophy debut last season has been prohibited from playing for the rest of the current TNPL season due to violations of anti-corruption procedures, it was revealed on Friday.
When the player was in the Player and Match Officials Area (PMOA), the ACSU found an unreported cell phone. According to sources, the ACSU has discovered at least six players in various state leagues using cell phones in these locations; thus, this is not an unusual incident.
T J Srinivasaraj, president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), stated that the organization complies with all ACSU-mandated TNPL procedures.
“We are working closely with the ACSU team to ensure there is smooth coordination. There is constant communication between the TNCA and ACSU to ensure the integrity of the game and the tournament aren't compromised. That has always been our top priority,” Srinivasaraj said.
Asked about the mobile-phone incident in TNPL and the ACSU’s move to monitor all state-run T20 leagues, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said, “It was a minor incident that the BCCI’s ACSU took immediate note of and punished the player involved. Our anti-corruption unit is very active and alert, and they don’t want to let even small things be overlooked when it comes to the integrity of the game.”
In 2019, the ACSU had conducted a probe into suspected bookies being in touch with players and coaches in the TNPL. However, the findings of that probe were not made public.
(Indian Express report)