Crooked Minds And Their Wicked Games

In a country where cricket is religion and cricketers are treated like gods, there is very little room for foul play. But bestselling author Abhishek Bhatt’s Indian Punter League: The True Story of the Fake IPL is a tour de force in the true crime genre. The novel shows the reader that some games are dangerous and come at a steep price. Through painstaking research and lucid writing, Bhatt weaves fact and fiction in his Indian Punter League… to expose a million-dollar scam of fake IPL matches that were held in Gujarat.
 
At the heart of the scam is the charismatic protagonist Faizal Ahmed, who wants to get rich fast by hook or crook. The penny drops on Faizal’s wonky mastermind in a gambling den in Moscow. The author has the innate skill of bringing each scene to life. Be it the small-time conmen, who conspired the fake IPL tournaments and coaxed big Russian punters to pump money into the game, the enigmatic Vimla Viral, or the local places where the game was staged and played in Gujarat villages. The characters of local bookies, players, their uniforms, and the coverage on TV channels with over-the-top anchors is a livewire read. The game of cricket and gamblers makes for strange bedfellows. And Bhatt highlights the high stakes involved in the world of cricket and gambling. There are cliffhanger moments throughout the book from Moscow to the Mehsana district in Gujarat.

From page one to the last page, there is suspense, drama, and loads of wit in Bhatt’s IPL. The bookies, rookie players from the villages, sporting IPL jerseys, and the live broadcast of these fake IPL matches through clandestine mobile apps will keep you on the edge of your seat. No wonder, the novel which is in three parts is all set to roll out as a web series as well. Just grab a copy of the book or a front-row seat to get a ringside view of Bhatt’s Indian Punter League!