No name yet in IPL doping scandal

The player who tested positive for a banned substance during random testing at the Indian Premier League will not be named until investigations are completed, an official said on Monday.

"We have got a letter from a Swiss agency mandated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which said one sample had tested positive," IPL commissioner Lalit Modi told local media.

"We will now investigate further on who the player is, and if he has been granted exemption on that particular drug.
"We should be able to reveal the name in a day or two."

Modi declined to hint at the possible offender, but local media speculated he was a Test-playing fast bowler from South Asia.

The randon tests on 14 players were carried out by the WADA-accredited Swiss agency during the latter half of the IPL, a lucrative Twenty20 tournament that ran from April 18-June 1 and featured the world's top players.

Modi, a vice president with the Indian cricket board, said investigations will proceed under set procedures.

"As of now we are at the first stage where one sample has tested positive," he said.

"The issue is now with the IPL's medical committee. The identity of the player will matter only after we check on the pre-declared drugs."

The nature of the substance has not been disclosed.

World cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council, said it was aware of the developments.

"The ICC is aware of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) from the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL)," said a statement released from the ICC headquarters in Dubai.

"When an AAF arises, the WADA accredited laboratory that has tested the sample sends a report to the commissioning body (IPL) and copies in WADA and the International Federation, in this case the ICC.

"As with any AAF that arises during a testing programme organised by one of the ICC's members, it is the responsibility of that member, in this case the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to deal with the process in a timely and fair manner.

"The ICC is proud of its status as a WADA signatory and will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the correct action is taken by the BCCI.

"The ICC retains a right of appeal if any penalty that may be imposed is inconsistent with the WADA Code."

World cricket has been hit by a series of drug scandals in the last five years.

Australian spin great Shane Warne was sent home from the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and later banned for one year when he tested positive for banned diuretics.

The Pakistani pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were withdrawn from the Champions Trophy in India in 2006 after they both tested positive for nandrolone in an internal test carried out by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Both were let off by the PCB after they appealed.

Asif was also detained at Dubai airport for three weeks for possessing opium while returning from the IPL in June. But Dubai public prosecutors dropped the case citing "insignificance" and deported him to Pakistan.