KPL on hold till investigation on fixing is complete

[Ulquiorra]

 

So far, four players and a coach have been arrested on the allegations of fixing © Getty

All the affairs of the Karnataka Premier League - the tournament as well as the auction - will be on hold till the time the police investigation is completed into the fixing scandal of the league, Vinay Mruthyunjaya, KSCA treasurer, said on Friday (November 22).

"All activities related to KPL will resume only after the investigation is completed and we get the final report from the police," Vinay Mruthyunjaya told Cricbuzz. "We don't know how much time it will take for the investigation to be completed. But there is still nine months for the next edition to begin, so hopefully, it will be completed by then."

Karnataka Police's Central Crime Branch has set up a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case, and so far have arrested four players and a coach, including former Karnataka players Abrar Kazi and CM Gautam.

"Today there are many non-playing cricketers involved [other] than those playing on the field, and it has become a business for them as they travel to Dubai, West Indies and other foreign countries and stay at five-star hotels," Bhaskar Rao, the Bengaluru Police commissioner, told IANS. "They have also indulged in blackmailing of players through honey traps. The game has become insignificant and the activities of these betters have only increased."

Mruthyunjaya, however, said that KSCA was unaware of the recruitment procedure of the cheerleaders -- who are suspected of being used as honey traps -- as they were hired by the franchises.

Further, according to an IANS report, the police has also served a notice to the KSCA, and asked for extensive information on the day-to-day running of the league and the background of the players.