Bade Sapne

◇ Part 1 ◇

Abhi’s POV

I was mindlessly scrolling through my phone when a new headline caught my eye. I clicked on it, expecting more of the same about Shubman and Vira’s relationship drama. Instead, my heart dropped.

"Shubman Gill Linked to Match-Fixing Scandal: Allegations of Collusion with Vira Mehta"

I blinked, trying to make sense of the words on my screen. Match-fixing? Collusion with Vira? My heart started to pound as I kept reading, the article piecing together a twisted story that didn’t even seem real.

The writer began by pointing out Shubman’s inconsistent performance over the past few IPL games. He hadn’t been himself, everyone could see that. But then it got worse. Much worse.

They were accusing him of deliberately underperforming, claiming he was in cahoots with Vira, who had “pressured” him into influencing match outcomes, by using their relationship as leverage. It was ridiculous. The media had twisted every bit of information they could find, including Vira’s recent interview. They made it sound like Vira had some inside knowledge and was “guilty” about it. Like she knew Shubman was involved and didn’t know how to tell Ishan.

But the most damning part? They claimed Shubman had made a specific gesture on the field—a signal that he was throwing the game. They showed clips of Shubman touching his chinstrap on his helmet in the middle of a match, saying it was a “secret sign” to some unknown syndicate.

I almost laughed out loud. Fixing his chinstrap? It was something he did all the time—probably reacting to the heat. Every player did that, even me! But to these people, it was enough to accuse him of fixing matches.

And the worst part of all? They made it look like Vira had been behind it the entire time. That she had somehow manipulated him into match-fixing. They painted her as the mastermind, using her closeness to Shubman to get him involved with betting syndicates. They even implied she was part of the reason his performance had declined.

I stood there in shock, barely able to process what I was reading. This wasn’t just drama—this could destroy his career. And they’d somehow dragged Vira into it too, making her out to be some kind of villain who led him astray.

Shubman needed to see this. He deserved to know the kind of hellstorm that was about to hit him.

My hands shook as I dialed his number. Before I could even think of how to break the news, I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see Shubman standing there, soaked from the rain, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He tossed his bag to the floor, his expression completely defeated.

"Flight’s canceled," he mumbled. "I’m stuck here for another two days."

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. "You’re going to want to sit down for this."

"What is it now?" he asked, exhausted, as if nothing could shock him anymore.

I handed him my phone with the article already open. He took it from me and began reading. The longer he stared at the screen, the more his face changed—shock, disbelief, and then pure, unfiltered rage.

“What the hell is this?!” he exploded, throwing the phone onto the couch. His eyes flashed with fury. “Match-fixing? Me?!”

“Shubman—”

“And they think Vira is behind this? That she made me do it? Are they out of their damn minds?”

I watched as he stormed back and forth across the room, every muscle in his body tense with anger. His fists clenched at his sides, like he wanted to punch something—anything—to make the rage go away.

“Bro, it’s just the media being the media,” I tried to calm him down, though I knew how serious this was. “They’re twisting everything, taking things out of context. That video of you touching your chinstr—”

“I touch my chinstrap all the time,” Shubman interrupted, his voice shaking. “How is that evidence of anything? It’s absurd! I was just adjusting my helmet! And now they’re acting like I’ve got some secret deal going on?”

“It’s not just about you, though,” I said carefully. “They’ve made Vira look like she’s part of it. Like she’s been the one pulling the strings. Manipulating you as if you don't have a mind of your own.”

He stopped pacing and stared at me, his face darkening. “So now they think she made me do it? That I’ve been throwing matches because of her?”

“Yeah,” I said softly. “They’ve twisted her interview too. Made it sound like she knew what was going on, that she was covering for you or… I don’t know. But it’s bad, man.”

Shubman ran a hand through his wet hair, his jaw clenched tight. “This isn’t just bad, Abhi. This is career-ending if people believe it. How am I supposed to prove I didn’t do anything when they’ve already made up their minds?”

“We’ll figure it out,” I said, though my words felt weak. “You need to talk to the team management, to the BCCI. Get ahead of this before it spirals out of control.”

“I didn’t do anything,” he said again, his voice quieter now, almost desperate. “I didn’t fix any matches. And Vira? She doesn’t even know what’s going on. She’s got nothing to do with this.”

“I believe you,” I said quickly. “But it’s not about what we believe. It’s about what the media spins, what people want to believe.”

He sat down heavily on the couch, his head in his hands. “This is insane. My career... everything I’ve worked for… it’s all going to hell because of some stupid rumour.”

I didn’t know what to say. I’d never seen him like this—so raw, so vulnerable. It wasn’t just the false accusations that were killing him; it was the fact that his name, his integrity, was being dragged through the mud. And Vira? I didn’t even know how she would react when she saw this. She was already dealing with enough, and now they were painting her as some kind of villain.

The silence between us stretched on, heavy and suffocating.

Finally, Shubman looked up, his eyes hardening. “I need to clear this up. I’m not letting my name or Vira’s get destroyed by lies.”

I nodded, though deep down, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. This wasn’t just a bad article. This was a full-blown scandal.

We're fucked.
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A/N:
Sooo ops on this chapter? And how was Christmas? Anyone get anything for Boxing day? Me and my sister went on a huge shopping spree, and now our living room is full of shopping bags.

Anyways, next chapter comes next Friday, as usual, so enjoy :)

Apologies for the late upload.

Stay tuned ;)