The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the BCCI has initiated an inquiry over alleged corruption in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) after a few players raised the issue with the regulatory authority.

According to reports, ACU Chief Ajeet Singh confirmed that a few TNPL players had received WhatsApp messages from an unknown person and their statements on how and when they received the messages have been recorded by the ACU. A player from the Indian cricket team, a Ranji trophy coach and an IPL player are being investigated by the ACU, as per a report in the Indian Express. The report also stated that bookies have allegedly gained control of a TNPL franchise via an illegal deal and are managing the team in a way that would result in profits in betting. The investigators allegedly got a whiff of the matter after a dispute broke out over money between those involved.

The ACU investigators have also said that a group of bookies from Gujarat and Kolkata and a fixer have been in touch with the TNPL franchise since last April. The owner of one of the franchises was also allegedly paid Rs 4 crore to gain control of the TNPL team. A first-class player and the coach of that TNPL team were also allegedly ready to dance to the bookies’ tunes in exchange for a consideration, stated the Indian Express report. Now since the said coach has moved on to another team, the ACU has expressed concern that the practice might spread to other teams in the league. The ACU is also considering filing a complaint with Tamil Nadu police soon.

TNPL is a BCCI-recognised tournament with some of the biggest names of Team India playing in it like Ravichandran Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik etc. The T20 league was inaugurated in 2016 as a platform similar to IPL to spot and nurture cricketing talents in Tamil Nadu and has eight teams clashing for the coveted title.