Dhaka - A probe has been launched into allegations by a
player that he was asked to fix matches during the latest scandal-hit
Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it would investigate
after Rangpur Riders player Jupiter Ghosh alleged on Monday that team manager
Sanuar Hossain had told him to fix match results just before the start of the
tournament earlier this month.
He claims that he was dropped from the team when he refused
to comply.
"The BCB is investigating complaints lodged by a
cricketer of BPL 2016 franchise Rangpur Riders against an official of the same
team," the BCB said.
"The BCB recognises that the allegations and counter
allegations brought forward by the player and the official concerned, which
includes breach of discipline and corrupt practice, are of serious
nature."
The Rangpur Riders expelled Ghosh on disciplinary grounds on Monday after he went public with the allegations.
The BCB has also suspended Ghosh and Hossain from the tournament while the investigation is conducted.
The BPL, modelled on the glitzy and lucrative Indian Cricket League (IPL), has been blighted by fixing rows ever since it began in 2012.
The tournament was suspended for a season in 2014 following
revelations that former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful and four others
including New Zealand's Lou Vincent were involved in fixing matches.
Ashraful was banned for eight years after he tearfully
confessed on national television, but was allowed to return to domestic cricket
earlier this year.
The BCB's anti-corruption officials have also thrown out at
least four suspected bookmakers during the previous editions in an effort to
ensure the tournament is corruption-free.
Seven franchises are playing in the current edition with
several big names in international cricket, including Pakistan's Shahid Afridi,
West Indies' Chris Gayle and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara taking part.
Afridi is leading the beleaguered Rangpur Riders, who currently lie fifth in the points table.