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New Delhi: Five cricketers caught in a TV sting operation discussing money for match-fixing have been suspended from all formats of the game, including the ongoing Indian Premier League 5, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) scrambled on Tuesday to control the damage.
Four of the five players are on IPL 5 teams, and were caught on tape talking about manipulating matches by bowling no-balls at a designated stage of the match. Although only a couple of them have played in the ongoing tournament, IPL and BCCI were sufficiently rattled to impose bans.
The BCCI brass held a consultation over teleconference on Tuesday afternoon and discussed the specific provisions of IPL's anti-corruption rules that allow for action to be taken on the basis of compelling proof or reasonable doubt. While the players denied the charges, it was felt the provisional ban could be invoked.
Cricketing bosses also felt that the suspension should be under BCCI rules after a reference by the IPL Board. "Invoking IPL rules would mean the players would still be eligible to play in other tournaments. Even if they are claiming to have made tall promises, a tough message is needed," sources said.
IPL's governing council asked Ravi Sawani, head of BCCI's new anti-corruption unit, to conduct an inquiry and submit a report in 15 days. The suspended players are TP Sudhindra (Team Hyderabad), Mohnish Mishra (Team Pune), Amit Yadav (Team Punjab), Shalabh Shrivastava (Team Punjab) and Abhinav Bali who doesn't have an IPL contract. All of them said the channel misrepresented meetings with an "agent" in a Delhi hotel.
A TV channel on Monday had claimed it had blown the lid off "murky deals" in IPL among players and organizers and showed the players apparently confessing on hidden camera their readiness for under-the-table payoffs. "If the players are found to be guilty, they will be punished. Bad conduct is not acceptable," said IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla.
BCCI bigwigs examined disciplinary action earlier taken against Ravindra Jadeja for "anti-team" activities for which he was banned for a year and Manish Pandey, who was handed a four-match suspension for criticizing auction rules. The possibility of franchises being questioned about the behaviour of the errant players was also considered.
Four of the five players, barring Amit Yadav, are from the Indian Cricket League (ICL), a defunct body. Three are not regular members of current IPL playing XIs. While, Sudhindra and Monish Mishra have played a few matches in the ongoing tournament.
