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On May 15, 2013, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan were arrested by Delhi Police on the charges of alleged spot-fixing in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. These three players were representing Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the marquee T20 tournament. Sreesanth was apprehended from his friend’s house in Mumbai while Chandila and Chavan were arrested from the hotel in Nariman Point. The allegation on three players was that they received money from fixers to bowl a poor over intentionally during the game between RR and Punjab Kings (PBKS). Delhi Police asserted to have intercepted their chats among players and bookies.
Following the event, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended the three players until the conclusion of the investigation. The three players were granted bail on June 10 after spending 27 days in prison. They were released by Delhi Court as police failed to produce solid evidence against them to be charged under MCOCA. Two years later, the RM Lodha Committee suspended Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for two years (2016 and 2017). The Patiala House Court gave relief to the three players as it dropped the charges against them.
BCCI reduced life ban to seven years in 2019
In August 2019, BCCI reduced Sreesanth’s life ban to seven years which concluded in September 2020. In 2021, Sreesanth was selected for Kerala’s Ranji Trophy team. In February 2022, the pacer made a comeback in competitive cricket after nine years. After a month of his return, Sreesanth retired from domestic cricket.
In February 2023, India's apex-cricketing body lifted the ban on Chandila and Chavan as well. However, both never got a chance to play in competitive cricket again. Sreesanth is often seen in competitions in which retired players take part.
