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Mumbai, Oct 12: Disgraced former India captain Mohammed Azharuddin, serving a life ban for match fixing, will be honoured by the Indian cricket board next month.

Azharuddin has been included among a host of high-profile players and officials who will be honoured for their service to Indian cricket at an official ceremony, cricket officials said Wednesday.

Azharuddin, who led India at three World Cups, was banned in 2000 for conspiring with illegal bookmakers to fix cricket matches and player performances.

"Azharuddin is among the Indian captains invited for the cricket board's felicitation function next month,'' Board of Control for Cricket in India administrative head Ratnakar Shetty told The Associated Press.

Azharuddin will join all India's past and present living captains at the function, even though the Indian cricket board has banned him for life from all cricket activities - including playing, coaching or assuming an official position.

''We're going to honour all captains for their contribution to Indian cricket, and Azharuddin's name is in that list,'' Niranjan Shah, the Indian cricket board secretary, told AP.

''This honour will be for his contribution to Indian cricket, the board doesn't see anything wrong here,'' he said.

The Indian board's ceremony will mark the inauguration of its new headquarters, and is likely to be attended by the world's top cricket officials, beside those representing India's own state associations.

Azharuddin and team-mate Ajay Sharma were banned for life after a cricket board inquiry found them guilty of match fixing. Two other players - Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar - were suspended for five years.

Azharuddin has mounted a legal challenge against his life ban.

Azharuddin made a brief return to the cricket fraternity two years ago to commentate on a limited-overs international series in Sri Lanka, which evoked an angry response from the International Cricket Council, whose then-president Ehsan Mani said there was ''zero tolerance for corruption in cricket.''

Pakistan-born Mani went on to say there was ''no position in the game for a player who has been banned.''

The Indian cricket board has so far refused to allow Azharuddin a post-retirement pension that is paid to all former players.

The Indian board's function will take place on November 4 in Mumbai, on the eve of the Champions Trophy's final and one day after the ICC stages its annual awards ceremony in the same city.

''It's going to be a grand function,'' Shetty said.

Shah said most top cricket officials from around the world would be in Mumbai for a meeting of the ICC's executive board, and India has also invited officials of all minor cricket-playing nations for this function.

Beside Azharuddin, the Indian cricket board has also invited its former chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is under suspension on allegations of misappropriating funds and is not permitted to attend its meetings. The board has filed a criminal complaint against Dalmiya.

Dalmiya is among the former Indian board chiefs to be feted at this ceremony, Shah said.