Netflix destroyed a good plot. I mean this documentary is more focused on azhar than the complete scam. Not a single word or clip is used for Ajay Jadeja, Kishan Kumar, Five south African cricketers including Harshell Gibbs and several others. The incident of so called bribe offered by Kapil dev to Manoj prabhakar was in Colombo in Singer cup in 1994 and according to Prabhakar, Sidhu was eye witness of that incident. In Tehelka tapes, sidhu didn't rejected manoj allegations. Well, I like to say most of the cricket lovers of that time have more information as compared to this documentary. So, Nothing new in this documentary but with lot of cuts in real incidents.
7 Reviews
Starts off well and disappoints in the end.
sandeeplaxman-8972820 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
It was appalling that CBI did not have video evidence or audio recording of Azharuddin's confession at their office. The CBI officers who were talking in the documentary had not mentioned anything about this. There was no mention of Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia involvement in the fixing. It was mentioned that most of the cricket administrators on the board knew about the match fixing but the thread was left hanging. It was also not clear why the bookie MK Gupta had surrendered in the investigation. For most of the documentary, the director narrates in a gripping and tense atmosphere. It leaves you fuming and raging about the match fixing but only to prove in the end that there was no credible evidence found against the players, which was so absurd.
Quite interesting and engaging
JurijFedorov18 June 2023
Pretty good intro to the cricket betting scandal of 2000. I knew absolutely nothing about this and this doc is a great small intro to the people involved and the corruption. They focus on India mostly and their giant stars getting caughts betting on their own matches then throwing international games. Of course there are bookies involved and an Indian gang and huge mob boss controlling this all internationally. Bookies seek out lower ranked players and give them a bit money over the years then at some point ask them to lose a match on purpose. They will give them alcohol, women, money. Once they have dirt on them they ask them to bring big players to them. This doc shows how one retired player started talking about bribes on his matches in the media, likely to make a name for himself and become a hero in the media. Soon a cricket org is set up in India to look into this. They look into all criminal bookies in India. But only after South Africa find out their legendary players took bribes and those players get banned, sued, and drop names does India get anywhere. One criminal bookie is mentioned in South Africa. He confesses it all to the Indian org. A legendary Indian player then confesses too as he sees they have everything on him even who bought his sim card and where he shopped in UK. Apparently a bookie pays for it all.
But fixing matches is not a crime in India. All the players who were banned countersue and after their careers are long over they are unbanned. The bookies also go free. Sport orgs can ban players if they see fit, but it has to be a clear rule break and India seems to protect rich people and legendary players. In South Africa and other countries players seemed to be fully punished.
The episode topic is good with great interviews. It's way too dark though. Many settings are dark rooms with nothing in the background and are dull as heck. They also use a flashy doc style instead of letting the drama be the center focus. I liked everything Indian here and disliked everything flashy and Americanized. The doc is lazily made and ugly as heck. But the topic and interviews are very cool. And the Indian culture is amazing on screen.
But fixing matches is not a crime in India. All the players who were banned countersue and after their careers are long over they are unbanned. The bookies also go free. Sport orgs can ban players if they see fit, but it has to be a clear rule break and India seems to protect rich people and legendary players. In South Africa and other countries players seemed to be fully punished.
The episode topic is good with great interviews. It's way too dark though. Many settings are dark rooms with nothing in the background and are dull as heck. They also use a flashy doc style instead of letting the drama be the center focus. I liked everything Indian here and disliked everything flashy and Americanized. The doc is lazily made and ugly as heck. But the topic and interviews are very cool. And the Indian culture is amazing on screen.
Nothing you didn't already know
feroz-k-khan1 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
An incomplete documentary. You'd learn a lot more by reading about the saga online. They've hyped up the stings, the snares and conveniently left out the fact (until just before the final credits) that most of the cricketers who were once labeled as guilty were later exonerated by the same BCCI who attacked them maybe years ago. Netflix has a lot of money to throw on documentaries and while they are great with production values for the same, much leaves to be desired for the finishing up what they started with the story. If a follow up episode isn't made for this, it makes you wonder why only one (highly abridged) side of the story is picturised here.
Show on Azhar innocence or actual bribery he took.
amitmishra-4284818 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I think Azhar should have been thrown out of the community, instead this show only shows confusion of Azhar's innocence. Everyone know he was guilty. But still Just over some technicality he got out of the case.
Their should have been more focus on The investigation side then on Azhar, and who is Noel David how come he say it all but no one else from the team cones out gives out the truth that Azhar was actual guilty. What about Jadeja nobody mentioned him in the case much. Wasn't he guilty to ruining the name of cricket that too in India. How shameless these people can be and instead we making movie and series on their name.
Their should have been more focus on The investigation side then on Azhar, and who is Noel David how come he say it all but no one else from the team cones out gives out the truth that Azhar was actual guilty. What about Jadeja nobody mentioned him in the case much. Wasn't he guilty to ruining the name of cricket that too in India. How shameless these people can be and instead we making movie and series on their name.
Good documentary!!
sriramthestranger26 March 2023
Its a kind of story when BCCI was still a startup, but a very very successful one and not the giant corporation it used to be now. The startup had little rules and things go by the whims and fancies of management / captains.
Its a gutsy move to investigate and actually bring such names to light. The gambling mechanism is creative. Buy the documentary makers just want to make it sensational by putting in names like Kapil Dev and Dawood Ibrahim, with only little story and just adding publicly available footage.
The Tehelka operation is also not to find the truth but to just sensationalize it...
Its a gutsy move to investigate and actually bring such names to light. The gambling mechanism is creative. Buy the documentary makers just want to make it sensational by putting in names like Kapil Dev and Dawood Ibrahim, with only little story and just adding publicly available footage.
The Tehelka operation is also not to find the truth but to just sensationalize it...
Cricket fixing
sulemansaeeed15 March 2024
Caught Out: Crime. Corruption. Cricket.
This documentary shows links of some former Indian cricketers with bookies for fixing matches which involve names of Muhammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev and Ajay Sharma etc. It is not possible that a cricketer who apparently has a good reputation and respect in sight of the public may not be involved in match fixing and anything like that. It may be totally possible at any point of his career.
But BCCI finally after years, declared these players either innocent even when there has been evidence found against them. Muhammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev were declared clean. But Ajay Sharma and Manoj Prabhakar faced a ban.
No doubt, match fixing is a very dirty thing. Because the whole nation is looking forward to players and they have their sentiments attached to them. Any such thing can really really disappoint the general public.
They say since 2012, there has always been an anti corruption team with the cricket team so they may not be involved in fixing. God knows the rest. But watching a match doesn't make sense if it's fixed.
The spontaneity and unpredictability is the beauty of cricket, and any other game in fact.
This documentary shows links of some former Indian cricketers with bookies for fixing matches which involve names of Muhammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev and Ajay Sharma etc. It is not possible that a cricketer who apparently has a good reputation and respect in sight of the public may not be involved in match fixing and anything like that. It may be totally possible at any point of his career.
But BCCI finally after years, declared these players either innocent even when there has been evidence found against them. Muhammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev were declared clean. But Ajay Sharma and Manoj Prabhakar faced a ban.
No doubt, match fixing is a very dirty thing. Because the whole nation is looking forward to players and they have their sentiments attached to them. Any such thing can really really disappoint the general public.
They say since 2012, there has always been an anti corruption team with the cricket team so they may not be involved in fixing. God knows the rest. But watching a match doesn't make sense if it's fixed.
The spontaneity and unpredictability is the beauty of cricket, and any other game in fact.
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