Suspicion Surrounds IPL 2025 After Ex-Pakistan Pacer Implicates Match Fixing
Tanveer Ahmed, a retired Pakistan cricketer, has accused most IPL 2025 teams of having connections with match-fixers, bringing the league's credibility into question. The accusations come on the heels of previous accusations leveled against Rajasthan Royals by RCA official Jaideep Bihani, who complained of two narrow losses as being suspicious. The BCCI and Rajasthan Royals have strongly denied these accusations, calling them baseless and unfounded.
Former Pakistan left-arm pacer Junaid Khan raised eyebrows within the cricketing community again with comments implying suspected match-fixing within IPL 2025. The incident that led to these remarks was during the Wednesdy game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians' batter Ishan Kishan was inexplicably dismissed in a way that sparked controversy.
In the third over of the match, bowled by Deepak Chahar, Kishan attempted to play a shot to the leg side but missed the ball completely. The wicket-keeper Ryan Rickelton picked the ball, and Kishan, all by himself, walked back to the dugout. This was a surprise decision as there was no sign of a dismissal at all, and the umpire, Vinod Seshan, was about to signal a wide. But to everyone's surprise, the umpire raised his finger and declared Kishan out. When the video was replayed, it was evident that the ball had not hit the bat, and Kishan should not have been out.
Junaid Khan, who realized the controversy surrounding the dismissal, shared a video of the incident on his social media account, X (formerly Twitter). He uploaded it with the caption "Daal mein kuch kaala hai," which literally means "Something is suspicious," i.e., that there could be something more to the incident than it seemed. This created a debate over the honesty of the ongoing tournament.
This is not the first time that IPL 2025 has been accused of match-fixing. Just last week, Rajasthan Royals were accused of match-fixing when they lost to Lucknow Super Giants by a narrow margin. Jaydeep Bihani, the convener of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, had accused the team of match-fixing when they had lost two consecutive back-to-back matches from winning positions. These accusations were soon denied by the franchise of Rajasthan Royals.
Adding fuel to the fire, Tanvir Ahmed, a retired Pakistani cricketer, also chimed in on the topic. On his social media account, Tanvir made a straightforward remark, taking a satirical dig at the BCCI's promotion of the IPL as the biggest cricket league in the world. He showed that even if the IPL is the biggest league, it also has the biggest fixing, with many teams reportedly having connections with fixers.
The charges have certainly evoked a response, with fans and players in general questioning the credibility and transparency of the league. The IPL, now one of the most profitable and popular cricket competitions in the world, has been marred by corruption scandals previously. In 2013, officials and players were indicted in a serious spot-fixing scandal, with suspensions and bans ensuing. Despite all these past controversies, the IPL has continued to thrive, but events like these still cast a shadow on the tournament's reputation.
Junaid Khan's comments and the ongoing accusations have further raised the fears about match-fixing in the IPL. Although it cannot be ignored that these are just suspicions and no concrete evidence has been produced, the regularity of such allegations cannot be ignored. The BCCI, which governs the IPL, has always had a strict anti-corruption policy, but these allegations put the spotlight on the need to be vigilant at all times in order to keep the tournament clean.
As IPL 2025 goes on, the league's transparency will be in the limelight. Since high-profile teams and players are at stake, the stakes are higher than ever before. The officials, the players, and even the fans will be praying that the tournament is corruption-free and that such charges are thoroughly investigated to maintain the integrity of the game.
Lastly, while the IPL 2025 is still in the news among cricket enthusiasts all over the world, the recent allegations of match-fixing raise very serious questions about the game's integrity. That so high-profile figures as Junaid Khan and Tanvir Ahmed are involved only serves to heighten the problem. Without any certain answers yet, time alone will say how the BCCI will handle these charges and what steps will be taken to make certain that the tournament is clean and corruption-free.
