Former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi has given a big statement regarding match fixing in cricket. He believes that problems like corruption and fixing still exist in the game, although he did not make any direct allegations on the Indian Premier League. According to him, IPL gives such a big platform and financial security to the players that they would not want to risk their career.
During a conversation in Wisden Cricket’s podcast ‘The Scoop’, Lalit Modi was asked whether fixing still happens in IPL? In response to this he said that the nature of corruption in sports has become quite complex with time. Modi said that the problem of fixing in cricket has not completely ended and it is now present in a more developed form than before.
However, he clarified that he has no knowledge of fixing in IPL. He said, ‘I don’t think this is happening in IPL, but I can’t say anything for sure because I don’t have any information about it. Nevertheless, I believe that this problem exists in some form or the other in sports around the world.
Lalit Modi further said that every sport has its own challenges and problems. He stressed that his statement should not be misrepresented as he was only saying what he was aware of. He reiterated that he cannot make any concrete claims regarding IPL, because he does not have any evidence or information in this regard.
According to the information, fixing was not allowed in the first three years of IPL, due to which the underworld and betting networks were angry. The decision to move IPL-2 to South Africa caused huge losses to bookmakers as they had placed big bets on the IPL not happening.