Five IPL stars suspended

Five Indian cricketers have been suspended pending an inquiry into allegations of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India have imposed the provisional suspensions after news channel India TV claimed to have carried out a sting operation on various players.

The channel went on to claim that not only was the cash-rich league tainted but that even first-class domestic matches were fixed.

BCCI president N Srinivasan said TP Sudhindra, Amit Yadav, Shalabh Srivastava, Abhinav Bali and Mohnish Mishra would be unavailable for their IPL teams until the investigation is completed.

None of the five has played international cricket for India.

Sudhindra plays for Deccan Chargers, Yadav and Srivastava represent Kings XI Punjab, Bali is a Delhi-based player not currently contracted to an IPL team, and Mishra belongs to Pune Warriors.

The BCCI have asked India TV for the footage which the channel alleges exposes corruption in the sport.

In a statement released by the BCCI and IPL, board president Srinivasan said: "Having discussed among members of the governing council of IPL on the "sting" operation telecast on TV channels, the president BCCI has immediately appointed Shri Ravi Sawani (retired CBI officer and former head of anti corruption and security unit, ICC) as the commissioner to make a preliminary enquiry as per rule 32 (ii) of the memorandum and rules and regulations of BCCI on the involvement of players in illegal activities or activities against the interests of the BCCI and the game.

"The report submitted by the commissioner would be forwarded to the disciplinary committee of the BCCI for enquiry as per the said rules and regulations.

"The following players are suspended pending enquiry as per Rule 32(vii) with immediate effect: 1. T.P.Sudhindra. 2. Amit Yadav. 3. Shalabh Srivastava. 4. Abhinav Bali. 5. Mohnish Mishra.

"The above players would not be entitled to participate in any cricket match played under the aegis of the BCCI while under suspension."

Earlier, Srinivasan said: "We will ensure that the integrity of the game is protected. BCCI believes in the integrity of the game.

"We will have to have the tapes and the moment we see it, whoever is the player, we will take very, very strict action."

He added that special measures were taken to keep the IPL free of any such controversy.

"IPL, we believe, is clean. We have got the anti-corruption unit covering it. They are in charge of the security," Srinivasan said.

Cricket has been tainted by spot-fixing previously, with Pakistan Test players Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt jailed in England last year after a News of the World investigation in the summer of 2010 exposed their wrongdoing.

Former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield was also jailed in February of this year after admitting he bowled in a way that would allow batsmen to score a certain number of runs during a September 2009 match against Durham, in return for £6,000.