Indian fast bowler Munaf Patel has played down all reports circulating his involvement in a match-fixing scandal. Munaf, a member of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning squad, was linked to match-fixing syndicate that organised a domestic T20 tournament named Rajputana Premier League in Jaipur (2017).
In his defence, Munaf clarified, “I don’t know why this kind of news is surfacing now after a year. I have never been questioned relating to the league earlier. I have no idea what is going on. I did go in the opening ceremony of the event along with two other people. I was there on the field for over four hours. I also answered a few questions related to promotion of cricket,” he added.
Munaf revealed that he was invited to the tournament by Mohammad Aslam, a former Ranji player from Rajasthan and organiser of the league. The league, however, came under the hammer of BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Security Unit (ACSU) last year. Munaf’s name, possibly due to his few appearances in the tournament, had surfaced after an investigation was laid down by Rajasthan Police Crime Investigation Department (CID).
According to media reports, Munaf’s presence in the sidelines of the league went against him. In addition, the league saw some suspicious passages of play. The bizarre events combined to lead to investigations, and as a result, a total of 14 persons involved were arrested by the police for suspected betting and fixing activities. Later, they were granted bail on account of the case being transferred to CID.