Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | Goa terminates CM Gautam's contract after spot-fixing charges

The Goa Cricket Association has decided to part ways with keeper-batsman CM Gautam after he was arrested by the police for charges of spot-fixing. The board had no choice left as they believed in sportsmanship and playing the game in the right spirit and maintained a zero-tolerance policy against corruption in cricket.

"As soon as we came to know about the incident, we have terminated his contract. We have also informed the BCCI about the decision," Goa Cricket Association secretary Vipul Phadke told Sportstar.

The board has given the reigns of captaincy to Darshan Mishal for their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 campaign and have shown complete faith in him. Phadke also expressed his disappointment as he had hailed Gautam as one of the senior pros in the team and believed that he would give the youngsters in the team the much-needed experience.

"It's a shocking development for us. We had brought him on board as a professional cricketer this time. And he was also named the captain. But we have already written to the BCCI informing them about our stand," Phadke said.

The contract of the video analyst Hari Shankar was also terminated due to some suspicions raised against him.

"There was some suspicion about him as well. We didn't know earlier but now that we have been told about it, we have decided to end our association with him as well," the secretary said.

"Now, we may have to look for a replacement for the season. There is still some time left for Ranji Trophy," Phadke concluded.