The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Ashar Zaidi, the batting coach for the Pune Devils, along with co-owners Parag Sanghavi and Krishan Kumar Choudhary, have been banned for their involvement in corrupt activities during the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 league.
Ashar Zaidi, a Karachi-born all-rounder with British citizenship who has played extensively in English leagues, received a five-year ban from all cricket-related activities. Sanghavi and Choudhary, on the other hand, have each been given two-year bans for violating the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption rules.
These penalties are retroactive to September 19, 2023, when provisional suspensions were first issued.
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According to the ICC, “taking into account the suspended component of the penalty,” Sanghavi and Choudhary will be allowed to resume cricket-related activities from September 19, 2024, while Zaidi will remain barred until September 19, 2027.
In September 2023, a total of eight individuals were charged by the ICC on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board, with Zaidi, Sanghavi, and Choudhary being among those involved.
Ashar Zaidi (Batting Coach) faced the following charges:
Article 2.1.4: Soliciting or facilitating any participant to engage in corrupt conduct.
Article 2.4.4: Failing to disclose any approaches or invitations to engage in corrupt conduct to the DACO.
Parag Sanghavi (Team Co-owner) faced charges under:
Article 2.2.1: Placing bets on the results, progress, or conduct of international and domestic matches.
Article 2.4.6: Failing to cooperate with the DACO’s investigation without compelling justification.
Krishan Kumar Choudhary (Team Co-owner) faced the following charges:
Article 2.4.5: Failing to disclose any incident or matter that may indicate corrupt conduct by another participant to the DACO.
Article 2.4.6: Failing to cooperate with the DACO’s investigation without compelling justification.
