Eighteen years after the infamous IPL “slapgate” controversy, former India fast bowler Sreesanth has strongly criticised ex-spinner Harbhajan Singh, accusing him of profiting from the incident.
Sreesanth’s comments were triggered by a recent advertisement in which Harbhajan is shown shouting at a group of people trying to fix electronic items by hitting them, saying, “Sahi se thappad lagao, sab theek ho jata hain" (Slap them properly. You can fix everything.)
Sreesanth alleged Harbhajan Singh of profiting from 'Slapgate'
The former pacer said he had never spoken publicly about Harbhajan or the incident before, but the ad upset him so much that he immediately blocked Harbhajan on Instagram.
When did Slapgate incident happened?
Sreesanth was at the centre of the original “slapgate” incident during the first IPL season in 2008. In a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, a heated argument between him and Harbhajan ended with Harbhajan slapping him. The incident drew massive media attention and criticism. Harbhajan later apologised, but he was banned for the remainder of the season after a disciplinary hearing.
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Why Slapgate came back into the spotlight?
The controversy came back into the spotlight last year when an unseen video of the incident went viral on social media. It was shared by former IPL chairman Lalit Modi during an interview with former Australian captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
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