Mongia was suspended by the ICL in 2008 due to undisclosed reasons.
By Sreejith Vallikunnu
New Zeeland cricketer Lu Vincent has alleged that former Indian cricketer Dinesh Mongia was part of a match fixing crime related to the unsanctioned and now defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL).
During a trial at Southwark Crown court in London, where former New Zeeland captain Chris Cairns was being tried for perjury, Vincent took the name of Mongia along with New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Tuffey.
The former cricketer confessed that Cairns was the leader who ordered to fix matches. He also admitted he was involved in match-fixing while playing for the Chandigarh Lions in the ICL.
“I was under direct orders from Chris Cairns to get involved in fixing in India.” Vincent was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. Cairns had promised him USD 50,000 per game to under-perform.
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Mongia has denied all the allegations. “What he (Vincent) said is incorrect. I was not involved in any match-fixing. I played for the Chandigarh Lions but I don’t know what the New Zealanders (Cairns, Tuffey and Vincent) were doing,” Mongia told PTI when contacted in Chandigarh.
“There were four games I fixed for Cairns in the April/May tournament. I played between eight and 12 games. In three or the four games I was instructed either on the bus or at breakfast,” Vincent said. “I never paid by Cairns for any of the four games he fixed, but did get US$2500 when on a trip to Dubai with Cairns and Tuffey for an ICL match”.
During the trial, Cairns denied the charges on him relating to a libel case that Cairns had brought against now suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi in March 2012. Cairns had successfully sued Modi for £1.4 million (USD 2.14 million) after being accused of match-fixing on Twitter in January 2010. Currently, Cairns is facing serious allegations that he had not spoken the truth during the case.
Mongia was in fact suspended by the ICL during their 2008 edition due to some undisclosed disciplinary reasons. The Punjab left-hander had played 57 ODIs and one T20 International for India in his six-year career. He was also the member of the Indian team during 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup.