CBI to quiz Wadekar & Sidhu again

The sources said Singh and Wadekar, in their deposition before the agency, denied they were aware of allegations made by Prabhakar that Kapil Dev had offered him Rs 25 lakh to play below his potential in a match against Pakistan in a triangular series in Sri Lanka.

Sidhu has been named by Prabhakar as a witness to the offer allegedly made by Kapil Dev in a hotel room he shared with the former Indian opener. Wadekar, during his deposition, also denied that Dev was involved in any match-fixing, the sources said. The agency, which filed a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) in the case on May 2, said the re-examination of Wadekar and Sidhu would also help them in corroborating the deposition of Prabhakar.

Among the witnesses cited by Prabhakar, CBI will also examine former skippers Mohammed Azharuddin, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, the sources said.

Prabhakar claimed the offer was made in the presence of his hotel room-mate Sidhu and following his angry outburst wicket-keeper Nayan Mongia and teammate Prashant Vadiya also rushed in and were witness to the commotion.In a related development, CBI will soon be getting in touch with a former Indian cricketer, who is at present abroad as the investigations so far had pointed to his possible involvement in match-fixing.

Meanwhile, examination of bookies in Mumbai and other cities in connection with the match-fixing scandal was continuing, the sources said, adding the bookies were identified during the investigations carried out by various other agencies, including the Delhi Police.