Sreesanth accuses Harbhajan Singh of ₹1 crore gain over slapgate row, cuts ties forever

Former Indian pacer and 2011 ODI World Cup winner S Sreesanth has opened up about the 'Slapgate' controversy that took place during IPL 2008 after 18 years.

Sreesanth, who hails from Kerala, was speaking to a Malayalam news outlet and bombarded former teammate and fellow World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh with a scathing attack.

The two were part of the team together when India won the 2011 ODI World Cup at home under MS Dhoni's captaincy. Both Sreesanth and Harbhajan were a part of the playing XI in the final of that tournament.

What is the 'Slapgate' controversy?

In the very first year of the IPL in 2008, 'Slapgate' had become the first major controversy surrounding the league. It happened after a match between Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Mumbai Indians at the PCA International Stadium in Mohali. Punjab had won the match by a massive 66 runs.

After the match, TV cameras infamously caught Punjab's Sreesanth bursting into tears after being slapped by Harbhajan Singh during the post-match handshakes. Harbhajan was MI's captain at the time.

Following the incident, Harbhajan was banned for the rest of the season and docked 100% of his match fee.

"I'll fogive you, but I'll never forget": Sreesanth

During the interview, Sreesanth opened up about a recent incident where the controversy was revisited. According to him, Harbhajan had featured in a commercial where the incident was revisited with a comedic lens.

He said that the off-spinner had asked him to share the video on his socials. He did not oblige and even said that Harbhajan had earned close to INR 1 crore by featuring in the ad.

"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 Rs 80 lakh to Rs 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’. 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 for that. There is no doubt about that."

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"I have no relationship with him": Sreesanth on Harbhajan

In the same chat, the pacer went on to say that Harbhajan's recent attempts at public reconciliation were simply performative and that there was no genuine remorse on his end.

"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.”

“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."

'Slapgate' flames fanned again last year

In 2025, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had reignited the controversy after sharing a video of the incident in a podcast with former Australia skipper Michael Clarke.

At the time, Harbhajan had said that it was a mistake he regretted and wished he could take back, but Sreesanth seems to have made up his mind about not wanting any part of it.