The first season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is remembered by cricket enthusiasts not only for Brendon McCullum‘s exceptional performance in the opening game and Sohail Tanvir’s consistent display throughout the tournament but also for the infamous “slapgate” controversy. During a match between Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Mumbai Indians, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh lost his temper and slapped Sreesanth after his team’s defeat. This incident created a massive stir in the cricketing world.
Harbhajan Singh was banned from the rest of the season after the slapgate incident and former South African cricketer Shaun Pollock took over as the captain of Mumbai Indians. Since then, Harbhajan Singh has expressed remorse for his actions several times and admitted that the incident was a mistake. He has even gone on to say that if he could correct one mistake in his life, it would be the slapgate incident.
Sreesanth on Harbhajan Singh
Former fast bowler Sreesanth has recently revealed that there was a minor misunderstanding which was overhyped by the media during the slapgate incident 16 years ago. Sreesanth, who hails from Kerala, also mentioned that he had always been good friends with Harbhajan Singh and had learned a lot of commentary techniques from the former cricketer.
“We have always been friends. That was just a misunderstanding and the media made a big noise out of it. I will just say that Bhajji pa has supported me from the beginning in every way, including recently with commentary tips. He has supported me and helped me a lot and I am very thankful to him. There is that song, ‘Tere jaisa yaar kaha’, that is my relationship with him,” Sreesanth said.
It’s worth mentioning that Sreesanth and Harbhajan were recently on the same team, India Maharajas, which lost to Asia Lions in the LLC Masters Eliminators on March 18. The Maharajas had a disappointing tournament, winning only one of their five games. Despite the poor performance, captain Gautam Gambhir expressed optimism for the team’s future, promising to return stronger in the next edition.
