IPL Bad Boys: Backed by Shane Warne, suspected of illegal bowling action: A blossoming career of Gujarat pacer ruined by match-fixing scandal

The Karnataka-born pacer Amit Singh created a stir in the 2009 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) but his career could not take off. From getting suspected of illegal bowling action to his involvement in the match-fixing scandal, Amit who was backed by former Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Shane Warne will be on the list of bad boys of the cash-rich league. 
 

Amit’s dream debut

Amit was picked by RR in the mini auction for his base price of Rs 6 lakh. He made his IPL debut in South African conditions. He was given an opportunity in the middle of the second edition against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). He struck with the first ball dismissing Sunny Sohal for a golden duck. He followed it up with Karan Goel's wicket. Later, he dismissed Yuvraj Singh in the penultimate over and helped the Royals win by 78 runs. He was suspected of an illegal bowling action. However, he cleared the test within five days. In 2009, he picked up nine wickets from just five games and had an economy rate of 5.42 runs per over.
 

Amit gets Warne’s backing

Warne was impressed by Amit’s bowling. He backed him and acquired his services for the 2011 edition for Rs 30 lakh. After missing the entire 2010 season, he bagged nine wickets from as many matches. In the next season, he picked up 10 wickets. However, his economy rate was 9.44 runs per over.

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A blossoming career ruined by match-fixing links

Amit’s career was derailed when a bookie took his name in the spot-fixing scandal. In September 2013, Amit’s name came along with S Sreesanth, Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila. He pleaded guilty and faced a five-year ban from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). He did not return to IPL or domestic cricket. 
 

Amit’s domestic numbers

The Karnataka-born pacer played for Gujarat in domestic cricket. Made his debut in 2004, he has 52 wickets from first-class appearances. He made just 14 List A appearances and bagged 14 wickets. Before he fell into the fixing trap and got banned, Amit had 28 wickets from 23 games with best bowling figures of four wickets for just 19 runs.
 

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