Kerala Cricket Association secretary T.C. Mathew said the IPL matches played in Kochi when it was home to the now defunct IPL team Kochi Tuskers Kerala were not under the scanner in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal in which Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals players have been embroiled.
There were media reports that a match that Sreesanth played as member of the Kochi Tuskers team at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here on April 9, 2011 was also being probed, as the pacer had given away 15 runs in his third over after bowling two tidy overs earlier.
Top officials in the State police said it had got no request from the Delhi Police — which is investigating the spot-fixing allegation at present — for providing support for a probe into the match held here.
No complaint had been lodged in this regard, calling for registering of a case, either.
The officials refuted a media report that a home match played by Kochi Tuskers Kerala, featuring Sreesanth, against Royal Challengers Bangalore was under the shadow of similar spot-fixing charges.
“So far, we have not been approached either by any law enforcing agency or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) seeking information on any match played here,” Mr. Mathew said. He said that footage of IPL matches is available both with the BCCI and official broadcaster of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Sreesanth’s representatives seem to have approached senior Supreme Court lawyer Rebecca John requesting her to appear for the cricketer.
The lawyer had appeared for the accused in high profile cases like the Aarushi murder and the 2G spectrum cases. “As a senior advocate, I cannot confirm or deny this,” Ms. John told The Hindu .
BPCL may take action
Sreesanth’s free-fall from the height of popularity seems to be unending with his former employer, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, mulling action against him. This move came close on heels of the State government deciding to remove him from the panel of celebrities who endorsed the State-run Karunya Lottery scheme.
The Mumbai office of BPCL, which deals with sports-related affairs, is waiting for a police report on the charges against the cricketer and action will be taken on the basis of that report, BPCL sources said.
Sreesanth was given a job at BPCL under the sports quota in 2006, a year after he made his debut for India. He is presently posted as Assistant Manager (Sports) at its Irimpanam office here.
