Honey-Trap Scandals in Cricket: Major IPL, KPL And ICC Cases Over the Years

BCCI's latest warning to IPL sides about the dangers of honey-traps brings back several controversial instances of cricket over the years. From IPL spot-fixing scandals to various investigations on domestic circuits, the players and administrators are repeatedly warned about how bookies use women, blackmail and secret recordings to target cricketers.

BCCI's latest advisory for IPL 2026, which was sent out last week asked all the players and support staff not to have any unauthorized visitors in their hotel rooms. The BCCI had also warned the franchises of 'targeted compromise and Honey Trapping' in high-profile sporting scenarios.

Though there's no current case associated with the IPL 2026 advisory, cricket has witnessed many past incidents where honey-trap allegations have come up during fixing investigations.

Honey-Trap Scandals in Cricket

IPL 2013 Spot-fixing Scandal

Perhaps the biggest honey-trap allegations in cricket surfaced during the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal where S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan of Rajasthan Royals were accused of being involved in it.

As per the reports at the time, bookies had allegedly 'arranged' girls for Sreesanth and Chandila multiple times and CCTV footage at that time showed females accompanying them. Ankeet Chavan too was also allegedly using escort services.

Delhi Police had accused them of spot-fixing and claimed that the bookies had used women as honey traps for them. Sreesanth had been arrested from a Mumbai hotel in May 2013 and had spent 27 days in Tihar Jail. He was initially banned for life by the BCCI.

However, all the three accused players were acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence by a Delhi court. Kerala High court quashed Sreesanth's life ban in 2017 and BCCI reduced it to seven years. He made his return to domestic cricket in 2021 but did not play any IPL matches post the scandal.

ICC Investigation on Nupur Mehta

Another significant controversy surfaced in 2012 after a sting operation carried out by a British newspaper Sunday Times. A bookie claimed that Bollywood actresses were also used for honey-trapping cricketers.

Bollywood actress Nupur Mehta was linked with Sri Lankan cricketer Tillakaratne Dilshan during the 2009 T20 World Cup held in England.

The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit interrogated Mehta during their investigation but the actress denied all accusations and said "I am not involved in any fixing. Dilshan was my friend, that's all."

ICC later confirmed that no evidence could be found linking Mehta or Dilshan with match-fixing and no further action was taken.

KPL 2019 Fixing Case

The Karnataka Premier League scandal in 2019 brought the issue of honey traps back into focus for cricket. A case was filed against former Karnataka captain C M Gautam, coaches M Viswanathan and Vinu Prasad, Belagavi Panthers team owner Nishant Singh Shekhawat and Dubai-based bookie Ashfaq Thara, all of whom were taken into custody as part of the fixing investigation.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao told reports that players were taken to Dubai and Mauritius where it is alleged they fell for honey traps. Police had their suspicions over a nameless fast bowler from a neighboring nation too.

The scandal left a heavy mark on the league, which was subsequently canceled in 2020. The KPL has been replaced by the Maharaja Trophy that will be held in 2024.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Blackmail Case

During the 2022 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a honey trap and blackmail case was filed. It was reported that a prominent Delhi cricketer met with a lady through a dating application during the Kolkata leg of the tournament.

The player was allegedly recorded on camera in an undesirable state and was subsequently blackmailed for an amount of Rs 60,000 and an iPhone. The FIR was later filed and three individuals including the woman were arrested by Delhi Police.

ICC & NZ Cricket World Cup Warning

Prior to 2015 Cricket World Cup, New Zealand Police & ICC anti-corruption unit warned players over honey-trap risk.

New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief Heath Mills stated that players can be filmed secretly and can be blackmailed by the betting syndicates.

He stated:

"They will implicate you into something that is socially wrong, they will film you secretly and say, lets say you score 2 goals, or score less than 10 runs".

It also informed players to not meet unfamiliar women and not take strangers into their rooms during any tournaments. 

Currently, as the IPL 2026 is in progress, BCCI has again warned players and franchise over such risks along with tightening the security and hotel entry norms throughout the tournament.