Couple of IPL players have reported approaches: Gavaskar

Kolkata, May 22 (IANS) BCCI interim president Sunil Gavakar Thursday said a couple of cases of players being approached by "outsiders" during the ongoing Indian premier League (IPL) have been reported to the anti-corruption officials.

Replying to a query whether there were cases during the ongoing IPL where players were approached by outsiders, allegedly "bookies", Gavaskar said: "There were a couple of cases, which have been reported to the anti-corruption officials."

Gavaskar, who has been put in charge of the ongoing edition of the IPL by the country's apex court, backed the decision to attach one integrity officer to each of the IPL teams to ensure a corruption-free tournament.

"If they are approached, then the players can approach the integrity officers easily," he said.

Gavakasr said it was a challenge to him to restore the credibility of the IPL, which had been hit by betting and spot-fixing scandals last year.

"Yes, it was a challenge. When I took over in the very first meeting I said I want IPL 2014 to be remembered only for cricket and nothing else. So far, we have had a very good tournament. In high intensity games, there is bound to be some skirmishes. But that's part and parcel of the game," he said.