New Delhi - Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh found himself at the centre of yet another controversy as India's cricket board served him a show cause notice for allegedly slapping bowler S Sreesanth during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, reports said Saturday. Harbhajan was captaining the Mumbai Indians team which lost to Kings XI Punjab at a match in Mohali in northern Punjab state on Monday. Sreesanth is a member of the Punjab team.
Television shots showed a sobbing Sreesanth being comforted by teammates after the match. NDTV television channel reported that the temperamental offspinner had allegedly slapped Sreesanth, a pace bowler, after the latter walked up to him after the match and said "hard luck."
Both Harbhajan and Sreesanth sought to play down the incident saying the matter had been sorted out. "We are just like brothers. Lot of things happen in a family," Harbhajan said, adding that the media was blowing the incident up.
"Nothing happened. It was just a handshake in the wrong place. Harbhajan is like an elder brother to me," Sreesanth was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to take a more serious view of the matter and issued a notice to Harbhajan asking him to give a clarification by Monday.
A BCCI press release said the board had taken "serious note" of the incident at Mohali. "The BCCI condemns the behaviour of Harbhajan Singh as a contracted player of the board and he is called upon to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against him," the release said.
"Physical attack in any form is not acceptable on the field and we are waiting for the match referee's report and Harbhajan's clarification before taking any action," Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI chief administrative officer said.
Harbhajan is one of India's most successful spin bowlers but his career has been mired in controversies.
During a tour of Australia earlier this year, he was found guilty of racially abusing Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds and given a three-match ban and a fine. The ban was lifted after an appeal and the fine reduced by 50 per cent.
The Indian cricket board-organized IPL League has cricketers from India and abroad as members of eight teams playing matches in the Twenty20 format.
