Rajasthan Royals respond to RCA ad hoc committee convenor's match-fixing allegations with formal complaint to chief minister

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have responded to Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) ad hoc commmittee convenor Jaideep Bihani's allegations of match-fixing after Riyan Parag-led side's two-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at home. The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2008-winning franchise's senior official Deep Roy has dismissed Bihani's allegations, calling them "false, baseless, and without any evidence".

RR have also written a formal complaint to Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, Sports Minister and Sports Secretary. The Rajasthan-based franchise has called for a strict action on Bihani who is unhappy with RCA's lack of involvment in the management during the IPL 2025.

"We reject all allegations made by the convener of the ad hoc committee. Such public statements are not only misleading but have caused serious damage to the reputation and credibility of Rajasthan Royals, Royal Multi Sport Private Limited (RMPL), the Rajasthan Sports Council, and the BCCI. They also tarnish the integrity of cricket," RR said in an official statement.

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Bihani had also expressed his disappointment over RCA's absence from the organisation of the IPL matches in the state.

"The ad hoc committee has been appointed by the state government in Rajasthan. It has extended for a fifth time. We make sure all competitions take place without any issues. But then just as IPL came, the Zila Parishad (district council) took control of it. For IPL, the BCCI had first sent a letter to RCA only, not Zila Parishad. The excuse given by them and RR that we don’t have an MOU from Sawai Mansingh Stadium. If MOU is not there, so what? Aren’t you paying Zila Parishad for every match?” he told News18 Rajasthan.

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Playoffs chances slim to none for RR

RR have lost six out of eight games. They are placed eighth on the table, ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as they have a better net run rate (NRR). Their chances of reaching the playoffs are very slim. They need to treat remainder of the games as must-win encounters. In their next clash, they will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) away from home in the absence of an injured Sanju Samson.