Abu Dhabi T10 League organisers distance from Ali Asfak Thara after KPL betting arrest

A couple of days ago, Belagavi Panthers owner Ali Asfak Thara was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru for allegedly betting during the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) tournament. The arrest took place on Monday after the Police established that Thara - who came on board ahead of the 2017 season - was involved in betting activities with a Dubai-based bookie. That, however, affected the Abu Dhabi T10 League organisers too as Thara was one of the co-owners of Kerala Kings.

Although the official website of the Kerala franchise mentioned Thara as one of the co-owners, who ‘manages six leading teams’ in various leagues, Shaji-ul Mulk, the chairman and the founder of Abu Dhabi T10, clarified that Thara is no longer part of the tournament. “He is no longer a part of the tournament. The league no longer has any association with him and he has been removed with immediate effect,” Mulk told Sportstar.

Earlier, the franchise was owned by three partners - Shafi ul Mulk, Hussein Adam Ali, and Thara but the league organisers insisted that with Thara removed, the franchise - which has changed its name to Kerala Knights - will be run by ul Mulk and Ali. On Wednesday, Thara’s name was taken off the franchise’s website as well.

Earlier, Thara had also organised International Cricket Premier League in Sri Lanka in 2016 where Sanath Jayasuriya was the brand ambassador of the league. However, top officials in the BCCI told Sportstar that the anti-corruption unit suspected Thara after probing the complaints by various players featuring in the KPL.

“While investigating the alleged match-fixing case in the KPL, the anti-corruption unit officials explored all the options and got a lot of information about him and other franchises, which did raise some suspicion,” one of the officials in the BCCI said.