Police Uncover Fake IPL Scam Targeting Russian Bettors

Indian Police have uncovered a fake Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament during the quarter-finals stage, with the organisers collecting 300,000 rupees (AUD$5,595), in an attempt to scam Russian bettors.

Matches were broadcast live on a YouTube channel called ‘IPL’, with the unemployed and labourers acting as athletes for GBP£4.20 (AUD$6.20) per game.

Broadcasts also included high-resolution cameras, where player closeups and specific angles of play were shown, with the entire length of the pitch never appearing on stream.

The group used crowd sound effects and commentators who sounded similar to those who cover the IPL, to make it more believable.

Commenting on the fake tournament, Indian police inspector, Bhavesh Rathod, said: “They had installed a cricket pitch, complete with boundary lines and halogen lamps.”

“Besides this, the accused had set up high-resolution cameras on the ground and used computer-generated graphics to display scores on a live-streaming screen,” Rathod said.

Players exchanged jerseys from franchises including the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans, and used walkie-talkies to update umpires on bets and changes of play.

Currently, Mehsana police have arrested four people in connection with the tournament.