IPL 2018: Rajasthan Royals hire experts, beef up team security

Rajasthan Royals (RR), who are back from a two-year suspension following charges of spot-fixing in Indian Premier League (IPL), have decided to strengthen security by hiring their own security experts. These experts will act as team’s internal watchdogs.

In a first-of-its kind initiative by any IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals have created an internal ‘Security and Ethics office’. The franchise on Saturday appointed KP Raghuvanshi, a retired IPS officer, as the team’s internal ‘Security and Ethics’ officer. He will be assisted by Javed Shaikh, a former additional superintendent of police, who was brought on board as Security and Ethics Advisor. He will be travelling with the team in all their away matches.

The two-member security team will be present besides the ‘Integrity Officer’ that is attached with each team by the IPL as per the policy. When contacted, Ranjit Barthakur, chairman of Rajasthan Royals, confirmed the development.

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“Our priority is the team and players’ security. We are committed towards stricter regulations and vigilance to ensure no disrepute is brought to the team and the game,” Barthakur said in an interview.

Raghuvanshi, a 1980 batch IPL officer, has varied experience of over 35 years in leadership roles which cuts across administration, collection of intelligence investigation, security management, anti-corruption among other fields. He is currently the Strategic Security Advisor of RBI.

Shaikh, too, specialises in anti-corruption laws, intelligence collection etc.

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“The primary objective behind the appointments is to have a strong Code of Conduct in place and ensure its adherence. We want to protect the players. The Royals management wants to emphasise their commitment towards keeping the sport clean and setting up an example in IPL,” Barthakur said.

The formulation of internal ‘Code of Conduct’ will be an ongoing process, the franchise emphasised. The security officers will be kept abreast of the team’s security plans and will scrutinise activities within the team. They would also strive to ensure vigilance and security for team, support staff as well as the management. The players, too, have been encouraged to speak out in case they are approached by suspicious parties.

In the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were suspended for two years. Three Rajasthan Royals players, including S Sreesanth, were suspended by the BCCI for their role in spot-fixing.