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I’ve been framed in a fake scandal: Shalabh
All the five cricketers shown in the TV sting are expected to appear before the BCCI's anti-corruption unit in New Delhi on Wednesday.
All the five cricketers shown in the TV sting are expected to appear before the BCCI's anti-corruption unit in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The franchisee of the players — Shalabh Srivastava, Amit Yadav, Abhinav Bali (all Kings XI Punjab), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors) and TP Sudhindra (Deccan Chargers) — have reportedly told their players to appear before the ICU team on Wednesday.
"I have complete faith in my franchisee and also BCCI, and I will put the truth of the entire episode before the ICU team, on how I was trapped by the so-called agents for this," Shalabh Srivastava told HT on Tuesday.
"The channel didn't show my full conversation with its reporters and if the full transcript of my conversation was shown, it had nothing against me," he said. "I am waiting for the BCCI's decision. Only then will I decide about legal action against the people behind this."
A former India U-19 youth World Cupper, Srivastava returned to the BCCI-fold after he quit the rebel Indian Cricket League in 2010. "It's really disturbing that I have been framed in a fake scandal as whatever I discussed with the agents was just a friendly talk. There was nothing official about it. If I had accepted the offers of the agents, my footage of collecting money from them should have also been shown. But there were no such footage as it never happened. During the last two seasons I didn't bowl a single no ball, and if something like this had happened, they could have twisted that too as a spot-fixing case against me."
The four-page endorsement agreement, which was given to Shalabh by the agents on behalf of JKM Sports and Event Management Company 'JKM World' (in HT's possession) looks fake as it has been printed on blank pages. It carries no signature or seal to authenticate the company's existence.
