NEW DELHI: A sting operation conducted by the Indian magazine Tehelka has cast a fresh spotlight on alleged match-fixing and the leaking of sensitive team information in Indian cricket, with a former Ranji Trophy player claiming involvement in both the Indian Premier League and domestic T20 leagues.
In the undercover footage, Nagaland pacer and former Delhi school cricketer Rachit Bhatia is seen alleging that he fixed matches and passed confidential playing XIs to bookmakers.
According to the report, Bhatia claimed he shared Indian Premier League (IPL) side Chennai Super Kings’ team details with London-based bookies via Snapchat before the toss during the 2025 IPL season, asserting he earned large sums in the process.
He also spoke of similar activities in the Delhi Premier League and other state competitions, as well as accepting payments from parents to secure places for children in age-group sides.
These claims, which have not been verified by any competent authority, have once again raised concerns about the vulnerability of franchise and lower-tier cricket in India to corrupt approaches.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association responded on Tuesday to the controversy surrounding the recently concluded Delhi Premier League. A senior DDCA official confirmed to Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency that only one corrupt approach related to match-fixing had been reported to the league’s Anti-Corruption Unit during the tournament.
“Central Delhi’s Vansh Bedi was approached by a fixer and he immediately reported the matter to the ACU,” the official was quoted as saying by PTI.
Bedi, 23, who represented Central Delhi Kings and had earlier been part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the 2025 IPL, followed protocol by promptly flagging the approach.
The DDCA has formally informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India and sought its guidance. No other official complaints were lodged with the ACU, the official added.
DDCA Secretary Ashok Sharma said Bedi reported an approach from a player from Uttar Pradesh who was also playing in a T20 league in that state. The association underlined that security liaison officers had been deployed with every team and described its anti-corruption arrangements as “watertight.”
In a statement, the DDCA termed the broader allegations emerging from the Tehelka investigation “unverified” and cautioned against drawing conclusions about any player or franchise solely on the basis of such reports. It confirmed it had written to the relevant authorities requesting a proper examination of the matter.
Bedi has denied any link to the match-fixing claims made in the sting, describing certain reports associating him with them as false and defamatory, and said his legal team was pursuing action.
Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026
