"Even after 15 years, I am deeply ashamed of that altercation" - Harbhajan Singh on his incident with Sreesanth in IPL 2008
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his regret over his infamous altercation with S Sreesanth during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.
In the aftermath of a tense encounter between Kings XI Punjab (now renamed Punjab Kings) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), Harbhajan reportedly slapped Sreesanth after tensions flared between the two Indian players. The off-spinner was handed an 11-match ban and missed out on the rest of the season due to his actions.
Claiming that he shouldn't have stooped so low and that what he did was deeply wrong, Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel:
"This fight will not end here, because a lot will be spoken about it. Who said what and why? Everything will be revealed in time. As a player, I have lived this, there was an incident that involved Sreesanth as well, something similar like this happened in 2008."
He continued:
"Even after 15 years, I am deeply ashamed of that altercation. Gestures are not right, at that time I used to think what has happened is done and I am always right, but I was wrong and what I did was very wrong."
The pair settled their differences long back and are part of the broadcast team for the ongoing IPL 2023 as well.
"I regret that incident very much" - Harbhajan Singh on slapping Sreesanth
The altercation between the two players was one of the biggest talking points of the inaugural IPL season. While Harbhajan Singh was involved in several altercations over the course of his career, he suffered bigger consequences for this particular one.
Offering to help settle the differences between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir, he said:
"When I look back on my incident with Sreesanth, I always think that I should not have done it. I regret that incident very much. You should try to make good memories. I think that these two need to forget what happened today itself and finish the matter. Just meet and talk and resolve this, even I am ready to come and help."
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Kohli and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Gambhir were spotted exchanging heated words following the game on Monday, May 1. The pair have been fined heavily for the incident, which also involved LSG bowler Naveen-ul-Haq.