IPL spot-fixing: Sreesanth, other tainted cricketers to appear in court today

The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition seeking a stay on the remaining four matches of the Indian Premier League, but has asked India's cricket board to ensure that "cricket should remain a gentleman's game". (Read more)

Slamming the BCCI, the court said, "Definitely there is some kind of irregularity. But the biggest problem is the lackadaisical attitude of the BCCI. It should stop. There has to be some scientific dispassionate and impartial approach to solve these problems."

So far, 18 people have been arrested from different cities in the massive scandal. The latest cricketer to be arrested is Baburao Yadav, a former Ranji player. He is accused of introducing an alleged bookie, who has now been arrested, to Ajit Chandila.

In a lower court where the players will be produced, the Delhi Police is likely to state that it needs more time to interrogate them as it wants to confront them with the bookies who have been recently apprehended, sources say.

The Delhi Police team is also likely to tell the court that names of several more cricketers and allegations of spot-fixing in previous IPL editions have come up during its interrogation. It will appeal to the court to grant it more time to verify these allegations.

Sreesanth, Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were interrogated for the fifth straight day by the Delhi Police yesterday. They were also questioned together for the first time. Sources say all three confessed to their crime, but blamed each other for dragging them into spot-fixing.

During his interrogation, Chandila reportedly told cops that a part of the cash he received for spot-fixing was stashed at a relative's house. Later, in a raid at his relative's residence, the Delhi Police reportedly found Rs. 20 lakh in cash hidden in his cricket kit.

IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals has suspended the contracts of the three players pending inquiry. It has also filed an FIR against its three arrested players for violating their contract. The chairman of the franchise, Ranjit Barthakur, met a special cell team in Delhi today.

The Delhi Police has collected voice samples of the three suspended Rajasthan Royals players. Cops will now match the samples with the recorded conversations. They say they have enough evidence to make a strong case against the three arrested players.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is conducting an internal inquiry into the spot-fixing scandal, has said it would send an anti-corruption official with the team during the Champions Trophy to be held in England next month.