IPL Spot-Fixing and Franchise Suspensions (2013)

The Indian Premier League had by 2013 become the most financially valuable cricket tournament in the world. With it came an explosion in cricket betting — much of it illegal — and pressure on players to cooperate with bookmakers. The spot-fixing scandal of 2013 was not, in retrospect, a surprise to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit, which had been monitoring the IPL's vulnerability to fixing from its first season in 2008. What was different about 2013 was the scale of the exposure and the involvement of franchise ownership.

S. Sreesanth was a mercurial, talented fast bowler who had played significant roles in India's 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup victories. By 2013 he was playing for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Delhi Police's intelligence unit had been conducting surveillance on known bookmakers when they identified communications with Sreesanth and two other RR players — Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila. The players were arrested in dramatic fashion in May 2013, with images of them in handcuffs broadcast worldwide.

The arrests were the visible tip of a much larger iceberg. Concurrent investigations identified connections between franchise officials and betting networks. The discovery that team principals of two major franchises — Gurunath Meiyappan of CSK and Raj Kundra of Rajasthan Royals — had been betting on IPL matches was seismic. Meiyappan was the son-in-law of BCCI president N. Srinivasan, creating a conflict of interest of staggering proportions.

The initial arrests in May 2013 prompted the BCCI to set up an inquiry under retired judge Mukul Mudgal. The Mudgal Committee's report identified multiple individuals — including Meiyappan — as having bet on cricket. Srinivasan's response was to defend his son-in-law, a position that became untenable under Supreme Court scrutiny.

The Supreme Court of India took an unusually active role in the affair, ordering Srinivasan to step aside as BCCI president while his son-in-law was under investigation. In 2014, the court appointed a three-member committee chaired by Justice R.M. Lodha to recommend reforms. Lodha's committee produced one of the most comprehensive governance overhauls in the history of any sports body — age limits (70 years maximum), cooling-off periods between tenures, prohibition of government officials and ministers from cricket administration, and separation of the roles of players' associations from administrative roles.

Sreesanth's initial prosecution under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) — which carried potentially severe penalties — was eventually dropped when the court found insufficient evidence for the organised crime charges. He was, however, given a life ban by the BCCI. The life ban was overturned by the Kerala High Court in 2019, then partially reinstated by the BCCI, with Sreesanth serving a seven-year ban.

The 2013 IPL season was engulfed in scandal when Delhi police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players — S. Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila — for spot-fixing during IPL matches. The arrests, which included dramatic footage of players being led away in handcuffs, sent shockwaves through the tournament and triggered wider investigations into corruption in the IPL.

The investigations led to far more damaging revelations. Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of then-BCCI president N. Srinivasan and team principal of Chennai Super Kings, was found to have been involved in betting on IPL matches. Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, was similarly implicated. The Supreme Court of India appointed a committee led by Justice R.M. Lodha, which recommended and enforced the suspension of both franchises for two years (2016 and 2017). Srinivasan was forced to step aside as BCCI president.

The Lodha Committee's recommendations went far beyond the fixing scandal, leading to sweeping governance reforms at the BCCI including age limits for administrators, cooling-off periods, and limits on the number of terms an official could serve. The 2013 scandal exposed the deep conflicts of interest within Indian cricket's governance — the BCCI president's family being involved in team ownership was a staggering governance failure — and ultimately led to the most significant reforms in the board's history.

“The IPL's integrity was compromised at the highest level — by the people who were supposed to protect it.”

“I did not bet on cricket. I am being framed.”

“I am innocent. I have never fixed any match in my life. I will prove it.”

“The BCCI has a conflict of interest problem that runs to the very top of its leadership. That has to change.”

The two-year suspension of CSK and Rajasthan Royals for the 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons was unprecedented. Two of the tournament's most popular and successful franchises were replaced by Rising Pune Supergiants (which included MS Dhoni and other CSK players) and Gujarat Lions (which included many RR players). The tournament continued but with a sense of incompleteness.

The BCCI's governance was profoundly altered by the Lodha Committee recommendations, which the Supreme Court made binding. The changes included age limits of 70 for administrators, three-year cooling-off periods between terms, prohibition of ministers or government officials from cricket administration, requirement for annual audits, and significant restrictions on conflict of interest. Many BCCI veterans — including politicians and long-serving officials — were forced out of their positions.

Sreesanth's case dragged through multiple courts. He was given a life ban by the BCCI, which the Kerala High Court overturned in 2019. The BCCI then imposed a revised seven-year ban, which Sreesanth served. In 2020, he was eligible to play again after the BCCI reduced the ban. He played in the Kerala Ranji Trophy team, completing one of the more extraordinary stories of a cricketer's return from disgrace.