Rajasthan Royals refute match-fixing allegations by RCA's Jaydeep Bihani

A fresh controversy has erupted between the Rajasthan Royals and the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) following comments made by Jaydeep Bihani, convener of the RCA's ad hoc committee, in the aftermath of the Royals' narrow 2-run defeat to the Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2025.

Bihani cast doubt on the legitimacy of the result, even implying the possibility of match tampering.

Reacting strongly to the allegations, the Rajasthan Royals have lodged a formal complaint with the Chief Minister, Sports Minister, and Sports Secretary, urging them to take appropriate action against Bihani.

Deep Roy, a senior official with the franchise, firmly denied the accusations, calling them “false, baseless, and without any evidence.”

Bihani’s statement did not just question the outcome of the match—it went further, accusing the Rajasthan Royals, Rajasthan Sports Council, and the BCCI of working together to exclude the RCA’s ad hoc committee from all IPL-related matters.

The Royals management responded with a firm rebuttal: “We reject all allegations made by the convener of the ad hoc committee. Such public statements are not only misleading but have caused serious damage to the reputation and credibility of Rajasthan Royals, Royal Multi Sport Private Limited (RMPL), the Rajasthan Sports Council, and the BCCI. They also tarnish the integrity of cricket.”

The franchise highlighted its long-standing association with both the state government and the cricketing authorities, pointing to nearly two decades of collaboration. They reaffirmed that all operations are in line with BCCI protocols, under which the Rajasthan Sports Council currently holds the rights to host IPL matches in Jaipur.

According to the Royals, the tournament is being managed in coordination with the Council and the BCCI, under the state government's oversight, to ensure its smooth execution. Meanwhile, Bihani emphasized that the RCA has a history of successfully hosting ICC-BCCI international fixtures in the state.

However, he accused the Sports Council of undermining the RCA’s role, stating that “The State Sports Council kept the RCA ad hoc committee away from organising the IPL. They did not even make accreditation cards for the members related to the event,” and alleged that “the Sports Council is conspiring against sports interests by keeping the ad hoc committee formed by the government away from the IPL match being held in Jaipur.”