NEW DELHI, Nov 28: An Indian court on Friday lifted the national cricket board’s suspension of top domestic player Abhijit Kale while probing allegations that he tried to bribe selectors.

The court ordered that the player be permitted to play Ranji Trophy games while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) completed its enquiry into the matter.

“The court has stayed the operation of the BCCI letter suspending Kale,” his lawyer Manoj Wadekar told Reuters from the western city of Pune.

The 30-year-old Maharashtra batsman was suspended last Friday after national selectors Kiran More and Pranab Roy, both ex-Test players, alleged he offered them bribes for a place in the India team.

The board appointed the country’s bar council chairman D.V.Subba Rao to probe the matter and said Kale would not be allowed to play while the enquiry was completed.

But Kale, whose only appearance for India was in a one-dayer in Bangladesh in April, denied any wrongdoing and petitioned the court saying he had been unfairly suspended.

Kale’s lawyer said the player would still appear before the BCCI enquiry commissioner for a hearing on Saturday. Rao has also summoned both the selectors.

BCCI’s lawyer Milind Hartalkar said the board planned to appeal in a higher court.

The board has already convened an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the issue, which has dominated the sports pages since the story broke last week.—Reuters