Domestic cricket league could close after Anti-Corruption Unit concerns

T20 could be shut down because of match fixing suspects.

India.- The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is pushing the government to close domestic Twenty 20 (T20) leagues because of match fixing concerns after a recent match in a small local league attracted £24 million (US$32 million) in betting on Betfair.

The Indian Express has learnt that the ACU has, in a confidential report submitted to the BCCI, highlighted that a Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) match this year between Tuti Patriots and Madurai Panthers witnessed betting. The report states that Betfair was so perturbed by the unusually high amount linked to an Indian state league that it stopped taking bets on any matches involving Tuti Patriots.

The ACU report draws its findings from two research companies that monitor odds being placed for any team during any T20 league across the world.

Last week, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly declared that two TNPL franchises were suspended. Later, however, an official of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) said that no franchise was suspended. Two co-owners of Tuti Patriots had been expelled on advice from the TNCA’s internal inquiry committee, the official said.