New Delhi, Nov 8: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed that he held a cordial discussion with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the sidelines of the ICC Board meeting held in Dubai on Friday, adding that there’s been willingness from both sides to break the stalemate over the Asia Cup trophy at the earliest.

The ongoing standoff over the Asia Cup 2025 trophy comes after India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, defeated Salman Agha’s Pakistan side by five wickets at the Dubai International Stadium to secure their ninth Asia Cup title.

But the post-match celebrations took an unbelievable turn when the Indian team opted not to accept the trophy or winner’s medals from Naqvi, the ACC Chairman who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“Yesterday, there were two meetings of the ICC. One is the formal board meeting and the other is the informal board meeting. There were two meetings and in both the meetings, I and the chairperson of PCB, Mohsin Naqvi were present.”

“But as it (the Asia Cup trophy issue) was not on the agenda of the ICC’s meeting, we made a request and the ICC facilitated a meeting between me and Naqvi on the sidelines of the board meeting.”

“We had a long meeting for about an hour and at the initiative of one of the very senior ICC board members, who’s a very senior person. So, they facilitated the conversation, and then the discussion between India and Pakistan happened yesterday at the ICC’s meeting place.”

“Mohsin Naqvi and I had a cordial discussion and we are trying to solve this problem. He will also be giving us some options, and we will also be giving up some options so that the stalemate can be broken at the earliest possible time,” said Saikia to Media on Saturday.

Before leaving for the ICC quarterly meeting in Dubai, Saikia had told Media about raising the grievance around the delay in the Asia Cup trophy handover despite a letter being sent to the continental body. It remains to be seen if a solution to the trophy handover issue comes in the next few days.

There were certain reports suggesting that a committee might be constituted to resolve the Asia Cup trophy impasse. Saikia, however, dismissed the speculation, stating that no such committee had been formed.

“That is totally incorrect news which is going on in the media. There is no truth in that news material. This is speculated news from some corners; I have no idea of this. But it is also news to me because it had not happened in that manner in the ICC’s meeting. I can assure you that,” he added.

New Delhi, Nov 6: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 11.14 crore belonging to former Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with its ongoing probe into the illegal offshore betting platform 1xBet, the agency said on Thursday.

According to the ED, the attachment includes mutual fund investments worth Rs 6.64 crore held in Raina’s name and an immovable property valued at Rs 4.5 crore belonging to Dhawan.

The action stems from multiple FIRs registered by various state police agencies against the operators of 1xBet and its surrogate brands – 1xBat and 1xBat Sporting Lines – accused of promoting and facilitating unlawful online betting and gambling operations across India.

“Investigation revealed that both Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan knowingly entered into endorsement agreements with foreign entities for the promotion of 1xBet through its surrogates,” the ED said in its press note.

“These endorsements were made in return for payments routed through foreign entities to conceal the illicit origin of the funds, which are linked to proceeds of crime generated from illegal betting activities,” it added.

ED officials further found that 1xBet operated without authorisation in India, targeting users through social media, online videos, and print advertisements. To disguise the source of funds, payments were layered through multiple entities and foreign accounts.

During the investigation, the agency uncovered a laundering trail exceeding Rs1,000 crore. It was found that over 6,000 “mule” bank accounts were used to collect money from Indian bettors, routed through several payment gateways.

Many merchants on these platforms were onboarded without proper KYC verification, and their declared business activities did not match transaction patterns.

Searches were conducted at four payment gateways, leading to the seizure of incriminating evidence. Over 60 bank accounts linked to the operation have been frozen, with funds exceeding Rs 4 crore blocked so far.

Issuing a public advisory, the ED urged citizens to refrain from engaging in or promoting online betting and gambling platforms, warning that aiding such activities may lead to prosecution under PMLA, which carries imprisonment of up to seven years and attachment of assets derived from illegal proceeds.

Further investigation into the case is underway.

Carrara (Gold Coast), Nov 6: Australia have won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the fourth T20I at the Carrara Oval on Thursday. The five-game series is poised at 1-1 and a win for either of the two teams will ensure they are ahead in their quest to eventually claim the trophy.

After winning the toss, Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh said Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Phillipe and Ben Dwarshius come in as the four changes due to first-choice players like Travis Head and Sean Abbott going to play Sheffield Shield in preparation for the Ashes.

“We don’t play a lot here. It is great to be here, will try to get as much information about the surface as we can. It is great, five-match series going down to the last two games, both teams will be pumped,” he said.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said his playing eleven is unchanged, in what is also the side’s first time of playing an international game in Gold Coast. “This is what you play bilaterals for, you challenge yourself and it is a beautiful stadium, everything to play for. The preparation has been good.

“We had a day off, had a good practice session yesterday. It looks like a subcontinent wicket, later on it might get slower, so we are happy to bat first. We were looking to bat first. Looks similar to Indian conditions, put runs on the board and we want to take up that challenge,” he said.

Playing XIs

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Matthew Short, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Josh Philippe, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, and Adam Zampa