After three of their players, S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were caught in the IPL-6 spot fixing scandal last year, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals adopt airlines' method
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals want to ensure that the enormous embarrassment they were subjected to after three of their players were named in the spot-fixing scandal in IPL-6 is not repeated.
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Illustration/Amit Bandre.
S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila were arrested on May 16 by the Delhi Police after RR’s clash with the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium for their alleged involvement in spot fixing. The Indian board has already banned Sreesanth and Chavan for life. Chandila’s fate will be known once the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) chief Ravi Sawani completes his investigation.
Raghu Iyer, Rajasthan Royals CEO
Having got into damage-control mode, the Royals have set up an Ethics Committee this time. “Firstly, the IPL has put together some regulations which existed initially, but will be implemented now. From our end, we have formed an Ethics Committee which will be headed by our chairman. We have an Ethics document which will be signed by all the players, having various redressal systems in place,” Rajasthan Royals’ Chief Executive Officer, Raghu Iyer told MiD DAY on Thursday.
Ethics document
“It is important that the players understand this. We have ensured it is clearly communicated to all of them. It is important that the players don’t see this as being forced upon them. “It is important they understand this is a procedure for cleansing the system. It is not exactly the do’s and don’ts, but it broadly covers all aspects related to the ethics of the game,” he added.
Iyer said basic vigilance instructions would be read out to the team before every match. “It will be like an airline. No matter how many times you have flown, the airhostess would repeat the safety instructions every time you board a flight. The players would go through something similar.
Workshop before IPL
“It might get boring for some players and it would also be repetitive at some point, but that is the procedure we will follow. We will also hold a workshop for players before the IPL begins. “We will do whatever is necessary from our end, and even after doing all this, the players get involved in such (spot fixing) activities, there is nothing we can do then,” Iyer insisted. He, however, clarified that the Ethics document does not mean they will act like dictators.
‘We’re not dictators’
“We don’t want to be like school headmasters where there would be a curfew by 10 pm. No, we don’t want to force things upon players. We realise it is a long tournament and players might need to unwind and get over the fatigue. The document is not dictatorial. We took inputs from senior players and then formulated this document,” he said.