Cracking the whip on cricketers caught in the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday imposed a life ban on pacer TP Sudhindra but handed lighter punishments to four other domestic players who were also exposed in the TV sting operation.

 The decision to ban the players for varying degrees was taken by the BCCI's disciplinary committee, headed by its president N Srinivasan, which met here to discuss the report submitted by Ravi Sawani on the matter.

 While the 28-year-old Sudhindra was the worst hit as his career seems all but over, Shalabh Srivastav was banned for five years. Mohnish Mishra, Amit Yadav and Abhinav Bali were banned for a year each, according to BCCI sources.

 The television sting operation had claimed that they agreed to shadowy deals in the Indian Premier League and other matches.

 Three of the five players-Sudhindra, Mishra and Bali-were attended the meeting today to present their points of view before the panel whose other members are Board vice-presidents Arun Jaitely and Niranjan Shah.

 Five uncapped Indian cricketers were alleged to have been caught indulging in corrupt practices, including spot-fixing, by a TV channel which conducted a sting operation during this year's IPL.

 BCCI had asked its Anti-Corruption Unit chief Ravi Sawani to conduct a probe in the matter and he submitted his report to Srinivasan a few weeks back.

 Srivastava has been also barred from holding positions in any cricket association affiliated to the BCCI, for a period of five years.

 "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 Board explained.

 "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," it added.

 The penalties will be effective from the date of the suspension of these players which was May 15.

 The television sting operation had claimed that they agreed to shadowy deals in the Indian Premier League and other matches.

 Three of the five players - Sudhindra, Mishra and Bali - attended the meeting today to present their points of view before the panel whose other members are Board vice-presidents Arun Jaitely and Niranjan Shah.

 Srivastava and Yadav pleaded their respective cases through teleconference during the meeting.

 The five uncapped players were allegedly caught indulging in corrupt practices, including spot-fixing, by a TV channel which conducted a sting operation during this year's IPL.

 BCCI had then asked Sawani to conduct a probe in the matter and he submitted his report to Srinivasan a few weeks back.

 The channel - India TV - had claimed to have blown the lid off "murky deals" in the IPL among players, organisers, owners and big guns of Indian cricket.

(PTI)