NEW DELHI: Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf was handed a five-year ban by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) on Friday over his involvement in an illegal betting scandal that blighted the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Controversy plagued the sixth edition of the lucrative Twenty20 league with former India paceman S Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan cricketers arrested on suspicion of accepting money to concede a fixed number of runs.
All three were given life bans by the BCCI.
The Chennai and Rajasthan franchises were subsequently suspended from the IPL for two years after key officials from both teams were found guilty of illegal betting.
The investigating Mumbai Police also named Rauf in the chargesheet but the umpire’s lawyer said his client had done nothing wrong.
“Mr Asad Rauf has been banned for a period of five years from umpiring or playing or representing cricket in any form or anyway being associated with the activities of the Board and its Affiliates,” the BCCI said in a statement on Friday.
“The 59-year-old, who last officiated an international match in the 2013, did not appear before the BCCI disciplinary committee and sent a written statement instead,” the board added.
The panel found the umpire guilty of facilitating betting, disclosing inside information and receiving gift or payment that brought the game into disrepute.
A Lahore-born first class cricketer, Rauf has officiated in 49 Tests and 98 One-day Internationals. The BCCI ban does not extend beyond India.
The poster issued by the Pakistan Football Federation . — Facebook/PakistanFootballOfficialLAHORE: The Pakistan...
Poster of the National Football Challenge Cup . — Football Pakistan websiteLAHORE: Army on Friday blasted their way...
Advisor to Prime Minister on Youth Programme Rana Mashhood in a meeting on May 3, 2024. — x/ranamashhoodISLAMABAD:...
World number four tennis player Daniil Medvedev. — AFP/File. MADRID: World number four Daniil Medvedev faces an...
Brooks Koepka. — AFP FileSINGAPORE: Seemingly stalled merger talks could build a bridge between LIV Golf and the PGA...
New Zealand paceman Tim Southee. — AFP File MELBOURNE: The mountain of runs being scored in the Indian Premier...