Match-fixing allegations in Indian cricket: BCCI set to crackdown on state T20 leagues for flouting code of conduct - Report originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The BCCI's ACSU has launched a crackdown on state-run T20 leagues over corruption concerns.
- Bookies have reportedly been in touch with players, team owners and managers.
- At least six players have been caught using smartphones in restricted areas.
BCCI set to crackdown on state T20 leagues for flouting code of conduct
India's proliferating state T20 leagues have long been viewed as a soft target by those looking to corrupt cricket, and the BCCI has finally moved to close that gap.
The board's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is set to cover every match across state-run leagues for the first time, a significant widening of its remit, according to a report from Sportstak.
Until now, the ACSU's thorough coverage was largely restricted to international cricket, the Indian Premier League and mainstream domestic fixtures. The dozens of state leagues that run between June and August, filling the gap before the domestic season, escaped comparable scrutiny.
That has changed after the unit found what it describes as increasing instances of bookies and suspicious individuals making contact with players, team owners and managers, all of which breaches the code of conduct governing the game.
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Why the BCCI's ACSU is targeting state T20 leagues
According to a report by The Indian Express, the ACSU has decided it will no longer allow state leagues to fly under the radar. Sources told the publication that the unit has uncovered a growing pattern of unauthorised approaches across these competitions.
"The ACSU has found increasing instances of bookies and suspicious persons getting in touch with the players, team owners, and managers, which is against the code of conduct and rules governing the game," the sources told IE. "It is the first time that ACSU is covering all matches at state leagues, unlike previously when only Test matches, IPL and other main games were covered thoroughly."
The scale of the task is considerable, with leagues running in Mumbai, Saurashtra, Bengal, Andhra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Kerala and Telangana. The unit will begin by monitoring who players and team officials meet at their hotels during the course of these tournaments.
Team owners are reportedly the biggest area of concern. The ACSU believes owners of state league franchises are particularly vulnerable to approaches from bookies, and the unit does not intend to spare them if any are found guilty.
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TNPL phone breach triggers the wider crackdown
The most recent incident came in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League, where an all-rounder who made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2025-26 season was fined one lakh rupees and banned from the rest of the tournament. His offence was bringing an undeclared smartphone into the Players and Match Officials Area.
The PMOA is a controlled zone where communication devices are strictly prohibited under anti-corruption protocols, with players and support staff required to surrender mobile phones and smartwatches to security officials before entering. The ACSU has also begun cautioning players about smart glasses and goggles, which can record or transmit audio and video.
Crucially, the report claims this was not an isolated case, with at least six players caught using smartphones in PMOA areas across various leagues.
It followed a similar incident earlier in 2026 when Rajasthan Royals team manager Ravinder Singh Bhinder was fined one lakh rupees for using a phone in the dugout during an IPL match.
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association president T J Srinivasaraj has since ensured constant communication with the ACSU following the breach. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has backed the unit to pursue even the smallest missteps that could damage the integrity of the game.
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Why this crackdown is overdue rather than excessive
Some will argue the ACSU is overreaching by policing leagues where the prize money is modest and the profile low, but the history suggests otherwise. In 2019, six participants in the Karnataka Premier League, including four players, a coach and a team owner, were arrested in a spot-fixing scandal.
More, while the TNPL itself was the subject of an ACSU probe into suspected communication between bookies, players and coaches that same year.
The logic for the fixers has never been complicated, a former ACU chief Ajit Singh, once explained that bookies care far less about a tournament's profile than whether its matches are televised. State leagues offer live broadcasts, young players with limited earnings and comparatively light oversight, a combination that makes them uniquely exposed.
Extending full ACSU coverage to every match is not heavy-handed; it is the bare minimum required to protect the players who need that protection most.
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