Cricket ‘By Chance’

Astonishing amount of money was involved in the third season of the IPL. Betting was much easier this time, thanks to basic mobile phones which were turned into dedicated betting lines
Sandeep Kumar Delhi

Experts say outcome in a fair game of cricket depends upon uncertainties or the 'chance factor' to quite an extent. This 'chance factor', however, loses innocence when seasoned cricketers start dropping obvious catches, fielders start flinging the ball in the wrong direction, fast bowlers start throwing a flurry of full-tosses, wide or no balls and batsmen begin exhibiting an eagerness for early retirement from the field, without any of these players putting up a solid fight against the opponent. 

For instance, the third season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was marked by so many apparently rigged matches, especially if you ask the devout cricket fans and game analysts. The entire IPL 3 seems to have been stung by a vulgar and massive betting market. Going by rough estimates, there was betting worth Rs 5,000 crores in India itself and for another Rs 13.5 crore through bookmakers in the UK. 

It appears that several shopkeepers, employees and even college students took part in betting this time in India. There was much gossip about the 'rates' and favourite players doing the rounds. Words like khaya (to take bribe) and lagaya (to bet) entered common parlance in markets, parks, offices, colleges and multiplexes more than ever. 

Gone are those days when betting took place clandestinely in small, shady rooms or godowns. With mobile technology reaching a peak with introduction of third generation phones, a basic CDMA phone would suffice to connect to a bookie, where running commentary and betting slots could be easily heard by paying a paltry sum of Rs 3,000 to any punter or fixer. Following is a list of some of the matches that created an element of doubt of match-fixing during this season:

Match No. 31: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had to meet a mammoth target of 181 set by Kings XI Punjab at the PCA stadium, Mohali. RCB needed 48 runs in last four overs to win the match. Robin Uthappa's willow was raining sixes and Kevin Pietersen was batting well on the other end. Suddenly, not only two catches were dropped on consecutive balls, Kumara Sangakkara tumbled down and kicked the ball past the boundary line gifting crucial runs to RCB. The Kings lost the match.

Match 37: Mumbai Indians (MI) were playing against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on their home turf. Till the ninth over, MI were the hot favourites. The strategic time-out was taken at the end of the ninth over. The MI were sitting pretty at 62 runs for the loss of one wicket. At this point the betting rates took a u-turn and CSK became the new hot favourites. 

Interestingly, Sachin Tendulkar, who was batting comfortably earlier, did not come out to bat citing dehydration as the reason. Sachin, otherwise, has a record of standing on the wicket for full fifty overs in the longer format of the game. Within a matter of just three overs, MI lost six more wickets and CSK won the match comfortably by 24 runs. They later went on to win the IPL season 3. 

Match 46: Even before the clash between RCB and Deccan Chargers (DC) began, the betting meters seemed to be swaying in favour of DC. Chasing 151 runs, RCB were sitting comfortably at 93 for the loss of two wickets at the end of 13 overs. They needed another 58 runs to win from 42 balls with eight players yet to hit the pitch. The batsmen needlessly went aerial and gifted their wickets to waiting fielders. RCB were bowled out for 138 runs and yet again, the punters had the last laugh.