Match-fixing slur puts Cairns out of IPL auction

Flamboyant New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been struck off from the IPL auction list because of a match-fixing slur against his name during his stint with the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Cairns's name figured in the original list for the January 19 auction, but Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi said the Kiwi's name was removed because of the match-fixing taint.

"The (IPL) governing council has decided against keeping him on the list," Modi told Cricinfo.

"We have removed him from the list… as we have zero tolerance for this kind of stuff," he said.

Even though Cairns will no longer be part of the auction, fellow-former ICL rebel Shane Bond, Damien Martyn and Justin Kemp are in the hunt for an IPL career.

Modi made it clear that it is for the IPL governing council to decide which players are allowed for the auction.

"A player writes to us to be put into the auction. We may choose to allow him in or not. In a case where there is any doubt about conduct or behaviour we prefer to keep that player out of the tournament," Modi said.

The match-fixing allegation against Cairns surfaced when the Kiwi, along with former India batsman Dinesh Mongia, were suspended by ICL authorities on "disciplinary grounds" in 2008.