KPL Spot Fixing: Police Arrest Bellary Tusker Skipper CM Gautam & Abraz Kazi

Both Gautam and Kazi allegedly accepted Rs 20 lakh to bat slowly in the final against Hubli Tigers

The case of spot-fixing in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) unfolded further on Thursday after the arrest of former Ranji Trophy players CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi. Both the cricketers were taken in custody following their alleged roles in fixing the tournament final earlier this year. As stated by the police, Bellary Tusker skipper Gautam and his teammate Kazi accepted Rs 20 lakh to bat slowly in the final against Hubli Tigers. Moreover, they were also allegedly involved in fixing another match against the Bengaluru Blasters in the tournament. “The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has made two important arrests in the KPL spot-fixing scandal. Bellary team captain CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi were arrested. They did spot-fixing in KPL 2019 finals between Hubli and Bellary,” Sandeep Patil, the Joint Commissioner of Police said. “They were paid Rs 20 lakhs for slow batting. Also, they fixed another match against the Bangalore team. Further investigations are on and more arrests will be made,” he added. Gautam is a big name in Karnataka Cricket and he was a key player in the side that won back-to-back domestic competition laurels in 2013-14 and 2015-16. He moved to Goa this season after nine years with his home team Karnataka. He has also played for India A and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. On the other hand, Kazi, a bowling all-rounder, has played under Gautam for a few matches. He had a stop-start career with Karnataka before moving to Nagaland last year.