The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Tuesday addressed the strong ‘match-fixing’ claims made by a former Ranji player during a sting operation conducted by a media outlet. Speaking to Hindustan Times, DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma confirmed that the body has reached out to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for further instructions on how to approach the matter.
The sting operation featured allegations of match-fixing in the Delhi Premier League (DPL). The match in question was Game 7 of the tournament’s third edition, played between Central Delhi Kings and North Delhi Strikers at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Former Ranji player Rachit Bhatia, who was unaware that he was being filmed, revealed that he had shared valuable information well before the toss. He also claimed to have fixed some matches involving Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), and to have engaged in spot-fixing during the 2018-19 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. As per the available records, Bhatia played two T20s for Nagaland in that season, taking two wickets.
Addressing these claims, the DDCA confirmed to HT that it has sent a communication to the BCCI and is ready to provide all available evidence, maintaining that there was no wrongdoing in the DPL.
“We have written to the board. Whatever the BCCI asks us to do, we will do it. If the board asks us for video footage, we will provide that, too. Whatever the board requests, we will provide whatever is available to us. Now, as for whether the board takes it to the level of verifying their telephonic recordings, that won’t happen unless you involve the crime branch or Delhi Police,” Ashok said.
“As for the evidence being shown in the sting operation, well, it is just a recording. What you are showing, what actually happened or didn’t happen, these are all just statements. But if it gets proven, then no matter which player is involved, the nation comes first, and then our DDCA; an individual doesn’t matter. Because this is such a major project (DPL) of ours, it has been running for the last three years. The future of thousands of kids who play is at stake. If this gets suspended by any chance, or if something happens, think about the loss we will face. And second, the biggest thing is our integrity within DDCA. Speaking for myself, having spent so many years here precisely because no one has ever pointed a finger at us. It’s purely our passion,” he added.
The DDCA further said it did not believe the allegations had merit, maintaining that its Anti-Corruption Unit was watertight during the third edition of the DPL
“As for us, we had a special anti-corruption package of 30-35 lakh rupees (during the DPL). The board’s anti-SLOs had deployed specialised officers. They accompanied every bus and stayed in the hotels. We had already prepared in advance to prevent this kind of thing. So our SLOs were present with every team. They were stationed with all eight teams. Our budget of 30 lakh rupees was approved for this. And they were appointed directly by the Board. We always engage anti-corruption personnel directly through the Board. We never hire them privately,” said the DDCA official.
The Vansh Bedi connection
Bhatia also described how he went about spot-fixing and fixing matches, mentioning that if matches were to be fixed in the 2026 edition of the IPL or the third edition of the DPL, he would use the same CSK player to obtain valuable information, leading to speculation rising about Vansh Bedi, considering he was the common link between CSK and the DPL.
Ashok Sharma also addressed these claims, saying that if Vansh was indeed involved in any wrongdoing, he would face severe consequences. It is worth noting that Vansh was picked by CSK for INR 55 lakh at the auction ahead of the 2025 season.
“He is in our team, he is fully part of it, and he has played for the state from here… If fingers are pointed at him and an investigation takes place, then if he has done something, he will face the consequences. And if he hasn’t, he will come out clean,” said Ashok.
“Why should we jump to conclusions right away? Once we receive an official letter from the BCCI, we’ll have our anti-corruption department check everything and verify all his details, phone records, and whatever else is possible at that time, because the anti-corruption department at that time belonged to the BCCI. So that entire system was managed by them. Whatever BCCI says and whatever the president says, we will abide by it,” he added.
(With inputs from Samreen Razzaqui)
