IPL 2021: New modus operandi for ball-to-ball betting surfaces, bookies on police radar

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A new modus operandi for ball-to-ball betting or pitch-siding has come to light during the latest IPL tournament that has been wound up due to Covid-19. Some unscrupulous bookies are suspected to have been using an accredited cleaner at Delhi's Feroz Shah Kotla ground for ball-to-ball betting, BCCI Anti-Corruption Unit chief SHS Khandwawala has revealed. </p>
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The designated cleaner was using the time lag between actual match action and live TV coverage to help in ball-by ball betting, which is also known as court-siding or pitch siding. Pitch-siding is the practice of transmitting information from sporting events for the purpose of gambling, or directly placing bets. </p>
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"One of my ACU officers caught a person and handed over the details to Delhi Police. While that particular offender managed to flee leaving behind his two mobile phones, ACU lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police," Hussain, a former DG of Gujarat Police, told PTI news agency on Wednesday. </p>
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"We are thankful to Delhi Police that in a separate incident they caught two other persons from the Kotla on an ACU tip-off." </p>
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The Delhi Police arrested two people with fake accreditation cards during the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad on May 2. </p>
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"So on two separate days, these people managed to get access to Kotla. The one who fled was operating in the garb of a cleaner. However, we have all his details as he was employed for the tournament. His Aadhar Card details have been handed over to Delhi Police," Hussain said. </p>
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"I am confident that he will be caught in a day or two. He is a small fry working for a couple of hundred or some thousand bucks may be," the ACU chief said. </p>
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"The information he may be supplying could be to someone more influential among bookmakers and so we needed to inform the Delhi Police. Delhi Police responded positively and two people were arrested." </p>
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He also disclosed that three suspects were arrested during the IPL matches in Mumbai from the hotel in which SunRisers Hyderabad team. The trio had a questionable track record and their names were in the ACU database for suspects. However, they couldn't come in contact with the players. </p>