Three Indian cricketers arrested for spot-fixing

Indian police arrested three cricketers and 11 bookmakers in Mumbai Thursday on charges of spot-fixing in matches.

The players, all bowlers, were Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, who respresent the Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League, BBC reported.

Spot-fixing is different to match fixing in that it involves illegally rigging parts or spots of a match.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which runs the competition, said the three men had been suspended pending the investigation by police, Bloomberg reported.

The Rajasthan Royals said in a statement it was shocked at the arrests.

“We are completely taken by surprise,” the Royals said in a statement on their website.

“We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game.” 

Sreesanth, a fast bowler, played 27 Test matches for India, and last played for the national team in 2011.

The police alleged the three cricketers were paid up to 6 million rupees ($109,000) to send a signal to the bookmakers before they threw their second over, reported the New York Times.

They were expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon.