Thangarasu Natarajan from Chinaappampatti, 32 kms from Salem, and Mohammed Siraj from Khaja Nagar in Hyderabad — who rose from the relative obscurity of the Ranji Trophy and vaulted into the glaring lights, camera, cricket and entertainment of the IPL.Teams and team owners have been punished with bans for betting but some major stars may have gotten away with it simply because they are too big to fall. The resurfacing of old habits like betting and fixing in the IPL which showered cash on all beyond their wildest dreams was the league’s most disappointing aspect. However, the one problem of keeping the list submitted by the investigators confidential is there are some who have been accused of fixing have spend time in jail or faced punishments like being banned from cricket while those whose names are on the master list have not even been investigated.
They were the most touching story of the last World Cup solar license plate light when they became the darlings of the cricket world, playing with a great deal of enthusiasm and creating a big upset too. Maybe, that would be added incentive not to cheat.6 crore for Siraj represent a transformational event that come once in a lifetime. Some of the names on that list would shock fans.IPL-10 has created some more Cinderella stories. In a sense it is good that the list has been closed as the fallout may have been too much for Indian cricket to take.A reminder of the strange goings-on in the past is a sealed envelope in the Supreme Court which contains a sensational list of great stars of Indian cricket who were suspected to have been involved in some way with the shady events.. Such stories of phenomenal success in one sweeping turn may have come only out of racecourses or lottery tickets.A rerun of old IPLs in which so many had been cavalier about betting and match and spot-fixing can be ruled out although it would be wishful thinking to believe betting and fixing has been booted out of the IPL altogether.
All these contracts are valid only for a year as the whole league is to churn next season with the former champions Chennai super Kings and Rajasthan Royals set to make a comeback in the league’s 11th year after losing out on two seasons because of the Supreme Court-ordered ban. While Ben Stokes was always likely to make it big after his showing in India on the international tour, it is the story of the Afghan cricketers that created a special buzz this year. Natarajan’s toe-crushing yorkers from the more awkward line of a left arm seamer in Tamil Nadu’s premier league helped him catch the eye of talent scouts while Hyderabad’s improved performance this season may have furthered Siraj’s case Pay cheques in the region of Rs 3 crore for Natarajan and Rs 2.Of course, Natarajan had been groomed over the years at Jolly Rovers, the team of one of the best talent scouts of the country, former Test stumper Bharat Reddy.
