Bans slapped,sting hurts

Life: TP Sudhindra Five years: Shalabh Srivastava

Madhya Pradesh medium-pacer TP Sudhindra was on Saturday banned for life by the BCCIs disciplinary committee after being caught during a television sting operation in May while colluding to spot fix a local game. Sudhindra received the punishment from the committee that also slapped a five-year ban on Uttar Pradesh medium-pacer Shalabh Srivastava,while Abhinav Bali,Mohnish Mishra and Amit Yadav were handed out one-year bans each.

Sudhindra appeared before Arun Jaitley,one of the members of the disciplinary committee. Sudhindra admitted to taking Rs 5,000 in advance to deliberately bowl a no-ball in a local game. Everyone makes mistakes in life and Im not an exception. It was just a mistake. But I was not expecting life ban, Sudhindra told The Sunday Express after the decision was announced.

The Indian Express had reported in May that Sudhindra would be slapped with a life ban. The disciplinary committee held Sudhindra guilty of receiving a consideration to spot-fix in a match by bowling a deliberate no-ball. Sudhindra has been debarred for life,from playing matches authorised by the ICC or BCCI, a statement read. Bans run from May 15,2012 ,the date of suspension.

Srivastava was caught on hidden camera getting into negotiations to fix a match. The disciplinary committee said in a statement: 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. It is learnt that Srivastava escaped a harsher punishment because only an audio clip of him getting into negotiations to spot fix a game was available, a top BCCI official said.

Unsubstantiated bragging

Mishra,Goa off-spinner Yadav and Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Bali received one year bans each for bringing the game in disrepute and for unsubstantiated bragging. The sting operation conducted by India TV also showed these three players either indicating that certain matches were fixed in the IPL,negotiating for lucrative contracts with rival teams and also stating that under-the-table deals were struck.