Reports: IPL cricketer blackmailed by team official linked to player contract

In a shocking development that has surfaced in the media circles, an up-and-coming cricketer in the Indian Premier League was allegedly blackmailed by a team official to secure a contract to play in the cash-rich tournament.

According to reports, an IPL franchise’s secretary reached out to the cricketer, asking him to pay a certain amount in order to secure a contract to play with them. However, the cricketer righteously denied making any such payment, following which, the team official commenced his dirty tricks to blackmail the cricketer, leaking allegedly fake and personal life of the cricketer on social media.

As reported by senior sports journalist Indranil Basu on Cricblogger, the matter is said to be linked to the same issues where the Board of Control for Cricket in India recently informed the IPL teams and officials of possible honey-trapping incidents. An IPL cricketer’s girlfriend reportedly leaked out the insider information of the team to outside sources, which put a spotlight on a possible compromise on the integrity of the sport.

The matter, however, isn’t a one-off instance, and several similar incidents have surfaced behind the scenes in the past. An involvement of an organisation official, though, has reached the media circles for the first time. 

“This is not the first time a cricketer has allegedly had to pay for selection in the IPL, but the involvement of the secretary of a board representative has come to light for the first time. Even in domestic cricket, some players are said to forgo their entire match fees to officials in order to secure a chance to represent their state side,” the report mentioned.

The players have a sure-shot remedy for this, as they are free to reach out to the BCCI if they find any such wrongdoings and backgate channels being used to secure playing in the IPL, or any other domestic tournament, for that matter.