In a tough action against match-fixing, BCCI Ombudsman Justice (Retd) Arun Mishra has imposed a ban on Gurmeet Singh Bhamrah, the former co-owner of a Mumbai T20 League franchise. Bhamrah was found guilty of making a corrupt approach to Mumbai cricketers Dhawal Kulkarni and Bhavin Thakkar during the 2019 edition of the league.
Bhamrah, who also had ties with the Global T20 Canada league, is no longer associated with the Mumbai T20 League. The league is being revived this year after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the official order does not mention the exact duration of the ban, it is likely to range between five years and a lifetime suspension, based on the BCCI’s anti-corruption code.
The order reveals that a person named Sonu Vasan approached Thakkar to fix matches on behalf of Bhamrah. The transcript shows Vasan offered money and benefits to Thakkar and assured him that any decision he made would be communicated to Bhamrah.
As for Kulkarni, a former India cricketer who retired after winning the Ranji Trophy with Mumbai in March 2024, the order mentions that his statement was recorded by the BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), but does not disclose further details.
“Upon completion of investigation, ACU submitted its report and wherein it recommended that respondent be charged with article 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.4.1 read with article 2.5.1 and article 2.5.2 of BCCI Anti Corruption Code (hereinafter the ‘Code’) for participants. ACU further recommended that appropriate orders may be passed against the respondent under the provisions of Article 4 and Article 5 of the Code,” the official order read.