Calcutta/Mumbai: In order to set a strong example that corruption in cricket will not be tolerated, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday slapped a life ban on TP Sudhindra, besides handing out varying degrees of punishments to the four other players involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

The Disciplinary Committee of the BCCI, comprising Narayanswami Srinivasan, Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah met at the Cricket Centre, in Mumbai, earlier in the day.

The Committee perused the report of Ravi Sawani, the commissioner of inquiry, who probed into the matter after an expose by a TV channel sting operation.

The Committee also accorded a personal hearing to Sudhindra, Abhinav Bali and Mohnish Mishra. Shalabh Srivastava and Amit Yadav pleaded their respective cases through teleconference.

The 28-year-old Sudhindra, who was the highest wicket taker with 40 scalps in the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy season, was the worst hit. Shalabh was banned for five years while Mohnish, Amit and Abhinav were banned for a year each.

Madhya Pradesh fast bowler Sudhindra, in fact, became the third Indian cricketer to be banned for life by the Board.

“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.

Sudhindra has been debarred for life, from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorised by the ICC or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI,” the BCCI said in a statement.

Apart from that, Sudhindra will not be entitled to the monthly gratis, benevolent fund, benefit match or any other facility offered to players by the BCCI.

He will also not be able to hold any position in any cricket association affiliated to the BCCI for life.

About Shalabh, the BCCI 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 authorised by the ICC or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI.”

Shalabh, too, will also not be entitled to the monthly gratis, benevolent fund, benefit matches or any other facility, during this period.

“The (other) three players, through loose talk and unsubstantiated bragging, brought the game into disrepute, and hence, have been held guilty of the lesser offence,” the BCCI statement added.

“They have been debarred for a period of one year, from playing any cricket matches conducted or authorised by the ICC or BCCI, or any affiliated unit of the BCCI.”

The penalties will be effective from the date of the suspension of the players — May 15, 2012.

The television sting operation, in May, had revealed that the players had agreed to improper deals in the IPL and other matches.

The five uncapped players were allegedly caught indulging in corrupt practices, including spot-fixing. Sudhindra becomes the third Indian player to be banned for life, after Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma. The BCCI release, however, that announced the bans did not make any mention of increased or illegal IPL pay.

Azharuddin, now a Member of Parliament, and former Delhi batsman Sharma were held guilty of match-fixing 12 years ago by the BCCI based on CBI report that probed the scandal after the late South Africa skipper Hansie Cronje confessed to have fixed some international matches and named Azharuddin as the person to introduce him to Indian bookies.

Sharma was also handed out a life ban while Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar were also found guilty by the BCCI and handed out five-year ban in one of the biggest scandals to hit Indian cricket in 1999-2000.