Mumbai, June 30 (IBNS): The Disciplinary Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday banned five players, who were allegedly involved in spot fixing during the fifth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Names of five cricketers TP Sudhindra, Abhinav Bali, Mohnish Mishra, Shalabh Srivastava and Amit Yadav emerged during IPL-5 when a sting operation was conducted by a news channel.
The committee banned Sudhindra for life while Shalabh Srivastava was banned from playing cricket for a period of five years.
The other cricketers were banned for a period of one year by the committee.
“The Disciplinary Committee of the BCCI, comprising N. Srinivasan, Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah met at the Cricket Centre earlier today,” read a BCCI statement.
The statement said the Committee perused the report of Commissioner of Inquiry Ravi Sawani.
The Committee also accorded a personal hearing to Sudhindra, Bali and Mishra. Srivastava and Yadav pleaded their respective cases through teleconference, it said.
“The Committee held Sudhindra guilty of actually receiving a consideration to spot-fix in a domestic cricket match, and hence imposed exemplary penalty on him,” said the BCCI in the statement.
“Sudhindra has been debarred for life, from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorized by the ICC or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI.He will not be entitled to the monthly gratis, benevolent fund, benefit match or any other facility, in lieu of,” it said.
“He cannot hold any position in any cricket association affiliated to the BCCI, for life,” the statement said.
The Committee seceded to ban Srivastava for five years, as it said: “Shalabh Srivastava was held guilty of agreeing to fix a match and negotiate terms for the same, even though no actual match-fixing or spot fixing took place.He has been debarred for a period of five years, from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorized by the ICC or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI.”
“He will not be entitled to the monthly gratis, benevolent fund, benefit matches or any other facility, during this period,” read the statement.
“He cannot hold any position in any cricket association affiliated to the BCCI, for a period of five years,” it said.
Speaking on the penalties on Mishra, Yadav and Bali, the BCCI said: “The three players, through loose talk and unsubstantiated bragging, brought the game into disrepute, and hence, have been held guilty of the lesser offence.”
“They have been debarred for a period of one year, from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorized by the ICC or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI,” it said.
The penalties will be effective from the date of the suspension of the players – May 15.
The Indian cricket board had suspended the cricketers on charges of spot fixing in the IPL, after their names surfaced in a sting operation conducted by India TV.
According to "India TV" news channel sting operation, IPL players were accepting bribes.
Sudhnidra was caught in the camera allegedly demanding Rs 40,000 to bowl a no-ball in a particular match.
The issue also created an uproar in the Parliament and Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken asked the BCCI to clear the cloud over spot-fixing allegations in the IPL at the earliest.
"It is a challenge as well as an opportunity for the BCCI as it would help them eradicate the menace of match-fixing. They should resolve the issue early," said Maken.
