The Board of Control for Cricket in India has denied it had made any offer to former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin to lift the life ban imposed on him.

"Why should the BCCI have any truck with the banned players. I deny that the board has any private understanding with Azharuddin.

"The matter is in the court and let the courts decide," said BCCI president A C Muthiah.

His comments were a reaction to a report in the Daily Telegraph on 18 August, which stated:

"Indian board have made a face saving offer to Mohammed Azharuddin by offering to lift the life ban imposed on him if he is willing to give a voluntary pledge that he will never again be involved in cricket."

Azharuddin has challenged the life ban imposed on him in a Hyderabad court. The next hearing is due on 29 August.

As a fallout of the match fixing scandal, the BCCI had banned Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma for life and imposed a five-year ban on Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar and former physio Ali Irani.