The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Ashar Zaidi, the batting coach of the Pune Devils, along with co-owners Parag Sanghavi and Krishan Kumar Choudhary, have been banned for admitting to corrupt activities during the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 league.
Ashar Zaidi, a former allrounder from Pakistan, has been banned from all cricket activities for five years. Meanwhile, Sanghavi and Choudhary received two-year bans after acknowledging breaches of the Emirates Cricket Board's anti-corruption code. The ICC noted that the final 12 months of each ban are suspended.
The bans are effective retroactively from September 19, 2023, the date of their provisional suspension. As per the ICC's statement, Sanghavi and Choudhary will be eligible to return to cricket on September 19, 2024, while Zaidi will be eligible from September 19, 2027.
Zaidi, Sanghavi, and Choudhary were part of a group of eight individuals charged by the ICC in September 2023 on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board. Among the other five charged, the most notable was Bangladeshi all-rounder Nasir Hossain, who received a two-year ban and can resume playing on April 7, 2025.
The specific charges admitted by Zaidi, Sanghavi, and Choudhary include:
Ashar Zaidi
- Article 2.1.4: Involvement in activities encouraging corruption.
- Article 2.4.4: Failing to report approaches or invitations to engage in corrupt practices.
Parag Sanghavi
- Article 2.2.1: Betting on cricket matches.
- Article 2.4.6: Not cooperating with investigations without valid reasons.
Krishan Kumar Choudhary
- Article 2.4.5: Not promptly reporting knowledge of potential corruption.
- Article 2.4.6: Not cooperating with investigations without valid reasons.
These sanctions underscore the ICC's commitment to maintaining the integrity of the sport by penalising those involved in corrupt practices.