The setup wasn’t anywhere close to the Indian Premier League, but some elements were copied with finesse
Take any domestic cricket tournament, be it the Big Bash League or the Indian Premier League (IPL); putting money on teams or players has slowly become a legitimate business. This is probably the reason why Fantasy gaming companies are booming. Yes, people do not put money on players or teams, but they certainly use the money to enter a competition, build a team, and, based on the collected points, win or lose money.
When it comes to putting money, cricket’s T20 format offers a different thrill. After all, the game format is so fast-paced that luck changes with every ball. Therefore, when some folks in Gujarat organised off a fake IPL, Russian punters did not use their brains enough and invested their money in fake teams and players only to get duped.
“Bhai, dhandho j karwano, Nokari ma kai nathi” which when translated from Gujarati to English means “Brother, we meant for business, not for a job.”
As we are well, Gujarat and its residing majority community are known for their sharp business sense. In short, they can turn anything into a profitable business. Therefore, when a bunch of folks saw the opportunity to exploit Russian punters, they formed the Indian Premier Cricket League in the Molipur village of Mehsana district. Indeed, it was illegal and should not have been done, but they pulled off a movie-like con script.
The organisers had taken care of everything – from fake players with quirky jerseys to names of teams such as Gandhinagar Challengers and Chennai Fighters. They even got someone to mimic, like Harsha Bhogle, one of the greatest commentators in the world of cricket. Umpires were on the field to judge the game, and drink breaks were incorporated just like they happen in the IPL – the Russian punters never saw it coming.
To accept money to be put on players and teams, the fake organisers used a Telegram channel. Matches were broadcasted on a YouTube channel with the help of five HD cameras and umpires were given fake walkie-talkies to make them look as authentic as possible.
After police received a tip off, they caught the mastermind of the fake IPL tournament. Four unemployed youths had hatched the plan and they had used 21 labourers to act as players and umpires.
A daily payment of INR 400 was offered to the labourers for whom it was easy money because all they had to do was participate in fake cricket matches instead toiling under the sun.
One of the masterminds, Shoeb Davda, had worked in Russian pubs where he witnessed the craze for earning money through T20 leagues among Russians.
Last but not least, the incident garnered reactions from some of the most eminent personalities in India like Anand Mahindra and Harsha Bhogle.
