The inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still remembered for the ‘slapgate’ incident involving S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh. The aftermath of the fixture between the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and the Mumbai Indians saw Sreesanth being slapped by the Turbanator, and things quickly got out of hand. However, the two buried the hatchet soon after, and all seemed fine in the world. However, it has now come to light that relations between the two players have soured once again.
Sreesanth launched a scathing attack on Harbhajan, alleging that the former India spinner profited from the infamous incident, saying that, through a recent advertisement, Harbhajan made INR 1 crore. The former Indian pacer said that he forgave the Turbanator, but the act of commercialising the slapgate incident doesn’t sit well with him.
Sreensath also claimed that apart from starring in the ad, which used the slapgate incident for comedic relief, Harbhajan also asked him to share the video on his own social media channels.
“I have never spoken about Bhajji in any interview. This is going to be the first time. Until recently, there were no problems, but he made an ad about it once again. He made around ₹80 lakh to ₹1 crore off it. He then called me and asked me to put a story on it. I told him, ‘I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget,” Sreesanth told Mathrubhumi, a Malayalam news outlet.
“ If someone wrongs you, you should forgive them, but never forget. If you forget, they will do the same thing again. He is the biggest example of that. There is no doubt about that,” he added.
‘Used to call him brother’
The former India pacer, who was part of the 2011 World Cup winning squad, then revealed that he has cut all ties with the former India spinner and even “blocked” him on Instagram.
“I have no relationship with that person. I used to call him a brother. But in that last 1 or 2 months, he did that ad, and now I have blocked him on Instagram,” Sreesanth said.
“My parents have taught me to forgive but never forget. I don’t have any complaints against him, nor do I need him. May God bless him and his family. In many interviews, even with Ashwin, he talked about my daughter. People will think, ‘Oh, what a great person he is.’ He might be a great person. But for me, from my time playing for India to now, in my opinion, it’s all an act. That act is something Sreesanth doesn’t accept,” he added.
All you need to know about slapgate
The slap incident marked the first major controversy of the IPL 2008 season. Harbhajan was banned from the entire season after the slapgate row. When the incident occurred, the cameras captured Sreensanth crying on the field.
Last year, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi released the previously unseen, high-definition footage of the altercation between Sreesanth and Harbhajan.
Earlier, Harbhajan had accepted his mistake, saying he was wrong to slap Sreesanth. However, the pacer has now said that this apology has no bearing, given the recent advertisement.