Harbhajan Singh was banned from IPL 2008 after playing 4 matches, after he slapped Sreesanth.
The brainchild of Lalit Modi, IPL 2008 got off to a brilliant start with Brendon McCullum’s 158* in the opening game. But shortly, it saw one of its first and biggest controversies to date, something that has been chronicled in annals of cricket.
S Sreesanth apologized to Harbhajan Singh over 'slapgate' says "I had crossed the line"
After a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, KXIP bowler Sreesanth was seen crying with his teammates consoling him. It was later found out that MI Captain Harbhajan Singh had allegedly slapped Sreesanth for constantly teasing him by saying “Punjab Bombay ko haraayenge, Punjab Bombay ko haraaynge.”
This scuffle led to BCCI appointed Commissioner Sudhindra Nanavati summoning Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth in the aftermath of the incident. Harbhajan Singh, who was leading MI in place of an injured Sachin Tendulkar, was banned from the remainder of the tournament and Shaun Pollock took over the captaincy.
Now 12 years after the incident happened, Sreesanth in a conversation with CricketAddictor.com, reveals that he begged and cried in front of the commissioner, not to slap a ban on Harbhajan Singh as a punishment. Things were sorted between Harbhajan and Sreesanth over dinner after Sachin Tendulkar’s timely intervention
“It was all sorted and thanks to Sachin paaji (Sachin Tendulkar), you guys play in the same team, I said absolutely fine, I’ll go and meet him. We met and had dinner on the same night but the media took it to the next level,” S Sreesanth said.
I still feel sorry about slapping Sreesanth, says Harbhajan Singh
“And even in front of Nanavati sir, they have the video clipping also if not, where I’m literally crying and begging and telling him not to ban or do anything with Bhajji paa, we are going to play together, I don’t want anything to be taken away from Bhajji paa because he is a match-winner, he has taken hat-tricks for India, I’ve just started playing and I want to win matches with Bhajji paa because I consider him as my elder brother…there is a video….I don’t know whether they will give it to you or not….you can ask Nanavati sir,” Sreesanth further says.
Talking about the current equation between the two players, who have been part of India’s 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup wins, Sreesanth said, “But I’m absolutely fine with Bhajji paa….he’s changed a lot, I’ve….in public also he has said ‘Sree tu kahi bhi ho yaar, maaf karde’….he was always my elder brother, maybe at that point of time it was different but he will always be a legend."