After the recent furore surrounding the Pakistan Cricket team and the alleged betting scams the question cricket fans are left with is whether or not it has been occurring in other forms of the game, notably in the money spinning IPL. A question which at present is unanswerable but one which could eventually be known if more and more detail about the alleged scams is uncovered.
With money, or lack of it, in some international cricket seen as one of the principle reasons why some players have been tempted to be sucked into the underworld of illegal betting, you may think the IPL would therefore be less prone to the illegal goings-on, considering the large sums of money offered to the players for appearances. However, it seems at the moment where there is sport there is money and where there is money, comes crime. I’m not suggesting that illegal betting is or has gone on in the IPL but administrators and management must keep an open mind if they are to stamp this problem out of the game.
We have already seen this year the departure of Lalit Modi the former IPL chief, after corruption charges were brought against him not to mention the accusations of his betting scams and match fixing in the IPL. Lets hope for the competitions sake that is the last we will see of any wrong-doings that force to bring down the dignity and spirit of the game.
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