Mohammed Siraj approached by bookie for insider information ahead of IPL 2023, pacer reports to BCCI ACU

The incident took place during the ODI series between India and Australia.

Mohammed Siraj approached by bookie for insider information ahead of IPL 2023, pacer reports to BCCI ACU

India’s star pacer Mohammed Siraj has made a big revelation. The Hyderabad cricketer has revealed that he was approached by a small punter before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 who sought help in obtaining insider information. The incident took place during the ODI series between India and Australia. Siraj was prompt to report the incident to the Anti-Corruption Unite set up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

As per reports, the punter who approached Siraj is not associated with any gang and just wanted help from the Indian pacer after losing a significant sum in betting. However, Siraj was aware enough to report the incident to the BCCI ACU.

“He sent messages on WhatsApp to Siraj informing him about the losses he incurred on betting and wanted his help. He requested the pacer to help him out. Siraj informed us about the approach,” a highly-placed source with the BCCI’s ACU was quoted saying by The New Indian Express.

“The accused is not associated with any gang nor does he have past record of betting. He lost a lot of money while betting on matches and was hoping Siraj would help him to get out of the situation. We took the help of the cyber police. We also kept his phone under observation with the help of local police. Eventually, we traced him. Our officers accompanied local police when he was caught somewhere in Andhra,” added the source.

Related: Mohammed Siraj shines in front of family at home ground in Hyderabad, pic goes viral

Notably, the BCCI has intensified its anti-corruption campaign ever since S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila–all bowlers for the Rajasthan Royals at the time–were detained on suspicion of spot-fixing, and former CSK official Gurunath Meiyappan was arrested for links to betting in May 2013.

IPL 2023 safe from bookies so far!

siraj ipl

The report in the New Indian Express further claimed quoting the source that no bookie has approached any member of the ten IPL teams so far. “No approach so far in the IPL. The emphasis is on educating all the stakeholders of the game. We have trained officers who conduct classes and give presentations to educate players,” said the source.

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