Sreesanth cuts all ties with Harbhajan Singh after slapgate controversy

S Sreesanth has now blocked Harbhajan on Instagram after his recent ad took a jibe at their slapgate controversy.

The inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 is still remembered for the slapgate incident involving S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh. The aftermath of the match between Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and the Mumbai Indians saw Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth, which turned things for the worse between the two. Though the two later buried the hatchet soon after, it has now come to light that relations between the two players have soured again.

Sreesanth slams Harbhajan for profiting from their infamous incident.

Recently, Sreesanth launched a scathing attack on Harbhajan, alleging that the former India spinner profited from the infamous incident. He said that through a recent advertisement, Harbhajan has made ₹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. He further said that apart from using the slapgate incident in the ad for comedic relief, Harbhajan also asked him to share the video on his own social media handles.

What did Sreesanth say about Harbhajan Singh?

Speaking to Mathrubhumi, a Malayalam news outlet, Sreesanth said, “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.” He added, “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 revealed that he cut all ties with the former India spinner and even “blocked” him on Instagram. He said, “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 added, “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.”