The interim President of BCCI-IPL Sunil Gavaskar today admitted that two cricketers were approached by bookies and the matter has been reported to the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit officials (ACSU).

Asked if players have been approached during this year's IPL, Gavaskar replied, "There have been a couple and it's been reported to ACU. They are looking into it." The Test legend also said that issue regarding Brendon McCullum being approached by the bookies is something to be concerned about but assured that no leak as far as confidentiality of cricketer's discussions with ACSU has happened from IPL.

"I can assure you that the leak did not come from the IPL. I don’t know where it came from. It's an issue to be concerned. I've to say we have got an Integrity Officer (IO) attached with every team this time. It has made it a lot easier for players to communicate," Gavaskar told the media persons.

"Sometimes players didn't know what to do. Okay there was a number to contact. But a lot of people (players) were thinking if you contact, does your number come under their list.

"The anonymity and confidentiality aspect was something the players were not sure about. Now with the IO attached to every team it has become a lot of easier. If there has been an approach, people go and tell the officer so that he takes it forward." Gavaskar, along with his colleagues in the IPL governing council are trying to chalk up an elaborate roadmap in order to help young and talented cricketers handle their nascent careers which is loaded with money and stardom.

On the day Gavaskar reealed that bookies approached IPL players, another illegal IPL betting-related incident occured in Chandigargh. Police arrested four persons from a house in the city's Maulijagran area for their alleged involvement in betting on an IPL cricket match.

Police also claimed to have recovered 13 mobile phones, Rs 1,210 in cash and a notebook in which they were maintaining records of gambling from their possession. Acting on complaints, police sent a decoy to trap the accused. After payment, the dummy customer was issued a slip as an acknowledgement for placing a bet, police said.

The moment the money was paid, a police team came to the scene and apprehended the four accused, identified as Devi Bansal, Dinesh Kathuria, Varinder Kumar and Sushant Rawat. Police received complaints from several people, alleging that the accused allured them by sending an SMS to place bets on the IPL match between Punjab and Mumbai, which was played at Mohali on May 21.

The complainants alleged that despite winning their bets, the promised money was not paid. A case under various sections of the Gambling Act and the IPC has been registered against the accused, police said.

Courtesy: PTI