Ex-co-owner of Mumbai T20 League team banned over corrupt approach

Former Mumbai T20 League Co-Owner Banned for Corrupt Player Approach

Justice (Retd) Arun Mishra, the BCCI ombudsman, has handed a ban to Gurmeet Singh Bhamrah, former co-owner of the Mumbai T20 League franchise SoBo Supersonics, for making a corrupt approach to players during the 2019 edition of the tournament.

Bhamrah, who also had ties to the Global T20 Canada league, allegedly made approaches to players Dhawal Kulkarni and Bhavin Thakkar. While the official order does not specify the duration of the ban, it could range anywhere from five years to a lifetime, in line with the BCCI's anti-corruption code.

According to the ombudsman's findings, a person named Sonu Vasan acted on Bhamrah’s behalf and attempted to engage Bhavin Thakkar in match-fixing. The order cites a transcript where Vasan offered Thakkar money and other incentives to manipulate games. Vasan reportedly told Thakkar that any decision he made would be passed on to Bhamrah.

As for Kulkarni, a former India pacer who recently retired after helping Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy in March 2024, the order confirms that his statement was recorded by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), though no further details have been disclosed.

The Mumbai T20 League, suspended since 2019 due to the pandemic, is set to return this year—without any involvement from Bhamrah.

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