India is the match-fixing hub

MARK Twain once penned: “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the greatgrandmother of tradition.”

Perhaps a modern amendment should include: “the home of illegal cricket betting”.

Two prominent IPL teams, the Rajhastan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, have been banned for two years, and their officials banned for life, for alleged match and spot-fixing.

For Indians, cricket is a concoction of entertainment, boasting more twists than a packet of pretzels… a truly enjoyable caper. Fans burst with belligerent nationalism. It’s about entertainment and passion.

But for the gambling kingpins, it’s about business. Besides match-fixing, there is spot-fixing, which is related to isolated incidents as opposed to a match’s outcome. For instance a no-ball, wide delivery or getting out for single digits do not require all eleven players to be involved.

A single corrupt player is enough to achieve this and many betting syndicates operate by receiving bets on such individual events in a match. The result is that India has become the biggest hub for cricket betting in the world.

How often during IPL matches, when television cameras zoom in on cricket personalities, do we see them on their cellphones? People like Bangalore Challengers’ boss, flamboyant tycoon Vijay Mallaya, loves moving money in full view of the cameras.

N Strinivasan, a cement millionaire, owns Chennai Super Kings through a family company. As head of the BCCI, he got rid of Lalit Modi, IPL guru and founding member.

Politicians like local mogul, Sharad Pawar, have been showing huge interest in cricket. In South Africa, it’s the opposite; sports executives seek political appointments. KEVIN GOVENDER

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