BENGALURU: The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) rot has gone deeper. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) sleuths arrested well known players CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi on Thursday morning. They are said to be involved in spot-fixing during the KPL 2019 final.
Four others including two players had been arrested earlier in connection with such activities in the T20 league run by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which is approved by the BCCI.
The incident involving Gautam and Kazi took place in the final match between Bellary Tuskers and Hubli Tigers on August 31. The duo represented Bellary, who lost the match. A senior police officer said, "They were paid Rs 20 lakh for slow batting and other things." They are also accused of being involved in fixing in a match against Bengaluru Blasters.
The police seem to have information on more players involved in related cases. "Investigations are on and some more arrests could happen in a couple of days," said the police officer.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Gautam is a familiar name in domestic cricket, who used to be an important part of the Karnataka team before shifting to Goa. He made 29 from 37 balls in the final at a strike rate of 78.38. Kazi scored a six-ball 13 and gave away 26 runs in four overs. The all-rounder is playing for Mizoram this season. Both were set to represent their teams in the national T20 championship for the Mushtaq Ali Trophy starting on Friday.
Gautam captained his KPL team and is the biggest name to get involved in this case, which broke in September. He had been part of IPL teams Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils in the past.
The arrests started with Belagavi Panthers owner Ali Asfak Thara.
Late last month, Bengaluru Blasters bowling coach Vinu Prasad and batsman M Vishwanathan were also arrested for their involvement in match-fixing during the 2018 edition. Another player, Nishant Singh Shekhawat was arrested earlier this month.