BCCI suspends three Rajasthan Royals cricketers

The Indian cricket board Thursday suspended three Rajasthan Royal cricketers S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, who were arrested on charges of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The three cricketers were arrested in Mumbai by the Delhi Police's special cell late Wednesday night after the Rajasthan Royals' game with Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium there. Chavan played in the match that Rajasthan Royals lost by 14 runs while Sreesanth and Chandila were left out.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said it was shocked with the arrests of the three cricketers.

"The BCCI is shocked and saddened at the recent developments. The BCCI has zero tolerance to corruption. We will offer all cooperation to Delhi Police and all other authorities in their investigations in this matter. The IPL Governing Council has met and decided that the cricketers found involved will be dealt with severely.

"As of now, the 3 players viz; Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and S. Sreesanth stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.

Jagdale said despite BCCI's best efforts to educate the players about the evils of corruption, these three cricketers had indulged in corrupt activities and were arrested.

"The BCCI engages the services of the anti-corruption wing of the ICC to educate and monitor players and support staff in prevention of corruption of any form in the game. In fact, it is wholly unfortunate that despite such education, best playing conditions and terms of engagement offered, some players seem to be indulging in such activity," he said.

Besides the three players, Delhi Police also arrested seven bookies from Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad in connection with spot fixing, which includes bowling no-balls at pre-determined times. The arrests were made on the basis of phone-tapping.