How a small Indian village tricked Russian gamblers with fake "IPL" cricket competition

Four men have been arrested for arranging a fake tournament marketed as the Indian Premier League that was established with the sole purpose of conning gamblers in Russia.

The real IPL has become one of the most lucrative competitions in sport, with its most recent broadcast rights auction totalling £5bn across the next five years.

And its popularity has clearly reached Russia, a country with no cricketing heritage, to the extent that gamblers were putting money on a fake tournament weeks after the real season had finished.

The group organised games on a farmland in the village of Molipur, Gujarat, featuring 21 local youths and labourers masquerading as players who were paid 400 rupees (£4.20) per match.

They took turns wearing replica kits of actual IPL teams, with umpires using walkie-talkies to communicate fixed action to the players.

Five high definition cameras broadcasted matches live on a private YouTube link that was then distributed to gamblers via a Telegram channel from which bets would be placed.

The con-artists even hired a commentator who attempted to mimic Harsha Bhogle and fake crowd noise was played in an attempt to convince betters of its legitimacy.

"Can't stop laughing. Must hear this "commentator"," the real Bhogle posted on Twitter after learning of the league.

According to local media reports in Gujarat, bets were received on the fake cricket matches via Telegram from Moscow and the cities of Tver and Voronezh for more than a fortnight.

The competition had started almost a month after the real IPL concluded, with Gujarat Titans winning the title in their maiden campaign, and reached the quarter-final stage before being broken up by police.

While four arrests have been made, the Times of India reported that the man police believe to have masterminded the competition, Asif Mohammed, remains at loose in Russia with a key accomplice named as Shoeb Davda.

“Shoeb hired the farm of Ghulam Masih and installed halogen lights there. He readied 21 farm labourers, promising them Rs 400 per match. Next he hired cameramen and bought t-shirts of IPL teams,” police official Bhavesh Rathod told the Times of India.

“Shoeb would take live bets over the Telegram channel. He would instruct Kolu, the umpire, over a walkie-talkie to signal fours and sixes. Kolu communicated the same to the batsman and the bowler. Acting on the instructions, the bowler would deliver a slow ball, enabling the batsman to hit it for a four or a six."