Nepal T20 League: CIB confirms spot-fixing, suspects match-fixing too

CIB was looking into the Nepal T20 League to investigate spot-fixing charges.

Kathmandu, January 22

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police confirmed that spot-fixing occurred during the controversial Nepal T20 League.

A CIB investigation concluded that spot-fixing cases were found in some of the earlier matches of the league held at TU Cricket Ground from December  24, 2022, to January 11, 2023.

“Our investigations have found some Nepali and Indian players were involved in spot-fixing,” says CIB chief Uttam Raj Subedi.

According to Subedi, there were also attempts to fix matches with the aim of extracting money through betting.

“It is tough to fix matches in cricket, but we found attempts,” he says.

Gyanendra Malla, the captain of Kathmandu Knights, had informed Nepal T20 League’s anti-corruption unit chief Vir Singh that his players had received offers to fix matches.

Sachin Timalsina, a commentator, also released a video on Facebook claiming that he had seen hints of fixing during the tournament. Following these two incidents, Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane ordered Nepal Police to investigate the case.

Following this, the CIB formed a six-member investigation committee under the leadership of DSP Sundar Tiwari. According to an officer involved in the investigation, Seven3Sports, the Cricket Association of Nepal‘s commercial and strategic partner, was involved in spot-fixing.

“Even though the intention was to influence the activities of the game, they were not able to do it due to the hullaballoo,” he says.

Fearing he would be caught, Seven3Sports co-founder, Jatin Ahluwalia, left the country and fled to India.

A total of 56 Nepali and 34 foreign players took part in Nepal T20 League. Among them, four foreigners and three Nepali players were have been suspected of spot-fixing by Nepal Police.

The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the ICC Cricket Council has also submitted its report to Nepal Police. The report also includes a technical analysis of the games that took place in the league.

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