Police have arrested a group of conmen over a 'fake IPL' tournament, fooling gamblers in Russia.
According to police, the gamblers spent around 300,000 rupees, which equates to $5,600 AUD.
BBC are reporting that the matches were staged on a farm in Gujarat and involved labourers paid to stage as players in official IPL jerseys, with the matches broadcast live on YouTube.
The channel was simply called "IPL" and had commentary from a Harsha Bhogle impersonator. The cameras never showed a wide shot of the outfield and crowd noise was reportedly played through a speaker.
The matches were also played on synthetic pitches.
Watch the video of the 'fake IPL' below.
The group streamed the matches on YouTube. They took turns wearing kits of Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans. The stream had downloaded sound effects to make it more realistic. They even hired a commentator who sounded like the actual commentator.
— Jordan Elgott (@JElgott) July 11, 2022
Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for….
— Jordan Elgott (@JElgott) July 11, 2022
Footage of the Fake IPL, which somehow conned people in Russia into betting on it.
‘Chennai Fighters’ off to a solid start, pitch looking in good condition. pic.twitter.com/XtaL5W5zli
It began three weeks after the end of the official IPL, and the farmers somehow managed to reach the quarter-final stages of their staged tournament.
Four people have since been arrested over the case.