The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has expanded its scrutiny across India’s state-run T20 leagues amid concerns over bookmakers and other suspicious individuals approaching players, team owners and officials, according to a report by The Indian Express. The move represents a broader push to monitor competitions below the IPL and national domestic level, with ACSU officials now covering matches across the state league ecosystem and tracking potential integrity violations.
The increased oversight follows scrutiny of some teams in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) over suspected corruption-related activity dating back to the previous season. The ACSU believes the potential integrity risks extend beyond the TNPL, bringing a wider group of state competitions and their participants under closer examination.
ACSU expands its reach across state leagues
The change significantly broadens the anti-corruption unit’s presence in state-level cricket, where a substantial T20 ecosystem operates in the period leading into India’s domestic season.
Sources told The Indian Express: “The ACSU (Anti-Corruption and Security Unit) has found increasing instances of bookies and suspicious persons getting in touch with the players, team owners, managers, which is against the code of conduct and rules governing the game. It is the first time that ACSU is covering all matches at state leagues, unlike previously when only Test matches, IPL and other main games were covered thoroughly.”
State associations including Mumbai, Saurashtra, Bengal, Andhra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand operate their own T20 leagues during the June-August window. These competitions sit below the IPL and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in India’s T20 structure.
The expanded surveillance also extends beyond activity at match venues. ACSU officials are monitoring whom players and team officials meet at their hotels during state T20 competitions.
Owners and players face closer scrutiny
The focus on state leagues reflects concerns about the vulnerability of some participants to approaches offering quick financial rewards. The scrutiny encompasses not only players but also owners and organisers, widening the integrity challenge beyond activity on the field.
Sources added: “Because of the level at which they operate, some of the owners, organisers and players are vulnerable and may fall for offers from bookies. Several of them are under ACSU’s watch for violations. Their activities are being closely monitored and whoever is found guilty shall not be spared.”
The ACSU’s intervention has already produced disciplinary action during the ongoing TNPL season. A Tamil Nadu all-rounder who made his Ranji Trophy debut during the 2025-26 season was barred from playing in the remainder of the tournament after an undeclared mobile phone was recovered while he was inside the Player and Match Officials Area (PMOA).
The incident is part of a wider enforcement concern, with at least six players across different state leagues caught using mobile phones in restricted PMOA areas.
TNCA works with anti-corruption officials
The 10th edition of the TNPL, which is being staged in Dindigul and Chennai and runs until August 23, has placed the relationship between state associations and the BCCI’s integrity operation firmly in focus.
Tamil Nadu Cricket Association President T J Srinivasaraj said: “We are closely working with the ACSU team to ensure there is smooth coordination. There is a constant communication between the TNCA and ACSU to ensure the integrity of the game and the tournament isn’t compromised. That has always been our top priority.”
The BCCI established safeguards for state-run leagues in 2018, including requirements for two ACSU officials to be present at each tournament. The guidelines also mandated anti-corruption awareness programmes and CCTV coverage at all entry and exit points of the PMOA.
BCCI backs stricter integrity oversight
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told The Indian Express: “It was a minor incident which the BCCI’s ACSU took immediate note of and punished the player involved. Our anti-corruption unit is very active and alert, and they don’t want to let even small things be overlooked when it comes to the integrity of the game.”
The TNPL has faced anti-corruption scrutiny before. In 2019, the ACSU investigated suspected contact between bookmakers, players and coaches in the competition, although the findings were not made public.
The latest expansion takes the BCCI’s anti-corruption oversight across the broader state T20 landscape, with the ACSU now monitoring matches, participants and off-field interactions as part of its effort to identify potential violations across the domestic league ecosystem.
