Indian police have launched a major investigation into the role of Mumbai's underworld in spot- fixing of cricket matches, sources said Saturday.

Three players have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the crime in the current series of the multi-billion-dollar cricketing tournament Indian Premier League (IPL).

"The police have been trying to establish the Mumbai underworld 's role in spot-fixing and probing to determine whether underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who lives between Karachi in Pakistan and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, is the kingpin of the racket. The cops have got some leads interrogating the three cricketers and 11 bookies who were also arrested Wednesday," the sources said.

India's ace bowler S. Sreesanth and two other cricketers, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, were arrested in Mumbai while 11 bookies were picked up from various parts of the country on suspicion of spot-fixing in the current IPL series, after being kept under surveillance since April, Delhi Police chief Neeraj Kumar had said Thursday.

Kumar had also hinted that "there are overseas connections and there is evidence to prove that the underworld is involved."

"But there is no concrete evidence of any (gang) members of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim (being involved) so far," he told media in the national capital.

The three cricketers, who belonged to the Rajasthan Royals' team captained by legendary Indian batsman Rahul Dravid and owned by Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra, have been placed under suspension by Indian cricket's highest body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Spot-fixing, illegally rigging parts of a match to benefit people betting on matches, is not uncommon in India. Last year, Indian cricket board had suspended five players after they were caught in a sting operation by undercover TV reporters purported to show cricketers agreeing to bowl no-balls.