The 2013 IPL (Indian Premier League) spot-fixing and betting case is still regarded as one of the most disappointing things that has happened in domestic cricket in the previous decades. The Delhi police arrested three renowned cricketers, Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila, on the charges of spot-fixing. It was a major blow for Rajasthan Royals as its owner, Raj Kundra, was also arrested on similar charges.
It was a ground-breaking incident that erupted the entire Indian cricket fraternity. When Sreesanth was arrested, his father blamed Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh for connecting his son to the scandal. However, later in the investigation, Sreesanth's father took his words back and expressed his regret.
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During the investigation of the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and betting case, IPS officer, Sampath Kumar, who was one of the IOs (Investigative Officers) in the case, linked Chennai Super Kings' skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the betting scandal. It was a major moment in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scam to see the name of a player of MS Dhoni's stature mentioned in the case. It raised numerous fingers on the cricketer's reputation, which he has made after years of hard work and commitment.
Well, IPS officer, Sampath Kumar not only targeted MS Dhoni but also mentioned the Supreme Court with allegations of withholding certain documents from the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation). While the media corridors got their biggest headlines, Mahendra Singh Dhoni reacted to IPS officer, Sampath Kumar's statement in the most fearsome manner. The captain of Chennai Super Kings filed a Rs. 100 crore defamation suit against IPS officer, Sampath Kumar.
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Not only this, MS Dhoni also labelled IPS officer, Sampath Kumar's allegations against him as 'scandalous and contumacious'. Not only this, but the Indian cricketer also raised questions about the IPS officer's remarks about the proceedings of the Supreme Court and termed it as a direct attack on India's judiciary system. MS Dhoni's defamation suit was filed through senior counsel, P R Raman, who requested the judiciary to take strict action against IPS officer, Sampath Kumar for questioning the integrity of India's judiciary system.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's plea against IPS officer, Sampath Kumar was not only accepted by the Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, R Shunmugasundaram, but the latter also granted permission to the cricketer to move forward with the criminal contempt of court petition. MS Dhoni followed the instructions, but the case was delayed for multiple reasons.
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However, it was in December 2023 when Madras High Court sent IPS officer, Sampath Kumar to jail for 15 days. The decision grabbed headlines as the decision was made after almost 10 years.
However, soon, the court suspended the implementation of a 15-day jail sentence as they allowed Sampath Kumar to appeal against the verdict. The bench, comprising Justices, S S Sundar and Sunder Mohan, gave the IPS officer a good time of 30 days to file a plea against the verdict. Otherwise, the 15-day jail verdict will come into action.
The miniseries, Roar of the Lion was released on Hotstar back in 2019, and it was the first time when we saw Mahendra Singh Dhoni talking about 2013 IPL spot-fixing. In the web series, MS Dhoni addressed Chennai Super Kings' two-year suspension from the IPL after their management was found guilty in 2013 IPL spot-fixing. Labelling it as the most difficult phase of his life, MS Dhoni admitted that he was never depressed as much as he was in 2013. He said:
"2013 was the most difficult phase in my life, I was never depressed as much as I was then. The closest was 2007 World Cup when we lost in the group stages. But all said and done, 2007 happened because we did not play good cricket."
Chennai Super Kings' skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also talked about allegations of him being directly involved in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing. The captain cool got a bit emotional as he said that whatever he is today in his life is because of cricket, thus for him, the biggest crime is to cheat the game that gave him so much success. He said:
"My name also came up in talks of fixing. They started showcasing in the media or social media as if the team was involved, I was involved. Whatever I am today, whatever I have achieved is because of cricket. So the biggest crime that I can commit personally is not murder. It's actually match fixing because it doesn't get restricted to me. If I'm involved in such a thing, it has a bigger impact."
What are your thoughts on Mahendra Singh Dhoni and IPS officer, Sampath Kumar's spat that led to the latter's jail sentence? Let us know.
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