2015 IPL: After RR's Tambe, RCB's Abdullah reported 'offer' made to him to BCCI

Iqbal Abdullah, the Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bangalore left-arm spinner, was reportedly approached during the 2015 IPL by an unnamed person who asked him for team information. [caption id=“attachment_2381278” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  RCB’s left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah in action. Sportzpics.[/caption] According to a report in the Indian Express, the offer came from a person calling himself a ‘big fan’ and who badgered Abdullah into posing for snaps after relentlessly calling him on the phone. The Express report added that Abdullah reported the incident to BCCI’s anti-corruption officer associated with RCB immediately. This is the second such incident related to this year’s IPL. Prior to the season, Praveen Tambe - another Mumbai spinner who plays for Rajasthan Royals - had reported that a ‘fellow cricketer’ had approached him with an offer of money for following a set pattern of play. The Rajasthan Royals star had reported the incident to BCCI which led to Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah's suspension from cricket. “This particular incident demonstrates that BCCI’s education policy against corruption is showing results, as the player approached was vigilant enough to report the matter to the ACU of the BCCI,” the board’s secretary Anurag Thakur had said after the Shah-Tambe incident. “Having said that, the fight against corruption is an ongoing battle and we will not leave any stone unturned. BCCI is committed to keep cricket corruption-free,” he said. The fight seems to be getting harder every year but the players showing self-awareness and reporting such breaches augurs well. The Lodha Committee report, court clearing Sreesanth and Co only for BCCI to vehemently uphold the ban, the Lalit Modi Saga and Mumbai cricketer Hiken Shah’s suspension - it’s fair to say cricket in India, and the IPL in particular, is going through one of its most difficult crises.