BCCI ties up with Maharashtra Police to fight corruption

Manohar, who met Fadnavis and discussed the issue last week, handed over a written request in this regard on behalf of the BCCI after getting a positive response from the chief minister. The BCCI, on its part, is open to part-funding the setting up and running of the IGU, which will be the first of its kind in the country. The new initiative aims to strengthen the cricket Board’s anti-corruption measures.

The IGU will share all relevant information it gathers on corruption-related cases in cricket with security agencies of other states in order to allow them to initiate preventive steps in order to keep the game clean in the country.

The need for such a unit has long been felt as Anti-Corruption Units of BCCI as well as the International Cricket Council (ICC) is not empowered to gather effective intelligence with regard to corruption issues.

In the current scenario, security agencies come into the picture only after an illegal approach has been made to a player or official. It has been proposed that the IGU will keep gathering intelligence in co-ordination with the BCCI which, in turn, will facilitate the process by supplying necessary details pertaining to tournaments, players and other individuals or agencies connected with it to the IGU.

The IGU will function out of Mumbai, which is the commercial capital of the country, and is expected to be fully functional in a month or two – much before the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, to be played in the months of April and May next year.

The IGU borrows it concept from similar global sports intelligence agencies which are known to have intercepted sensitive information and prevented numerous integrity-related issues in the world of sport.

BCCI and its affiliated units have been regularly counseling players and commercial partners to uphold good practices.