Sreesanth’s ban reduced to seven years

NEW DELHI: The BCCI ombudsman on Tuesday reduced tainted India fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth’s IPL 2013 spot-fixing ban to seven years, with the sanction period now set to end on September 13, 2020.

This comes five months after the Indian Supreme Court “set aside” the BCCI ban - originally for life - and asked the board to “reconsider” and “revisit” the length of any fresh ban, preferably within three months.

The sanction has been imposed retrospectively from September 13, 2013, when Sreesanth was slapped with the life ban by the BCCI’s disciplinary committee. He was then found guilty of breaching the code of conduct for his alleged role in the IPL corruption and spot-fixing scandal that year.

The BCCI’s decision had followed the arrest of Sreesanth and two other Rajasthan Royals players by Delhi Police for alleged promises made to bookmakers during the 2013 IPL. The charges against Sreesanth pertained to the match against Kings XI Punjab, that Royals won by eight wickets. The disciplinary committee charged Sreesanth guilty of corruption, betting, bringing the game into disrepute and not informing the board’s anti-corruption unit of being approached by bookies.

However, the Supreme Court pointed out the three-member disciplinary committee - comprising then BCCI president N Srinivasan and two vice-presidents Arun Jaitley and Niranjan Shah - had not considered the relevant provisions of the code before arriving at the length of the ban which ranges from a minimum of five years to a maximum of a life ban.

The court said the BCCI disciplinary committee did not “advert to the aggravating and mitigating factors” listed under its code. Consequently, the court asked the BCCI to set aside the life ban and review the “quantum of punishment/sanction” to be imposed on Sreesanth. That decision was left to the BCCI’s ombudsman in the absence of a disciplinary committee which can only be formed post the board’s elections.