New Delhi - Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh was Monday banned for the rest of the Indian Premier League matches this season for slapping bowler S Sreesanth, officials said. Harbhajan, 27, who pleaded guilty and apologized for the offence, was also fined his match fees for the tournament.
The incident took place after Harbhajan-led Mumbai Indians lost to Kings XI Punjab in a match in Mohali in northern Punjab state on Friday. Sreesanth is a member of the Punjab team.
A two-hour hearing in the Indian capital New Delhi found that Harbhajan was not provoked and decided to charge him with a level four offence under the International Cricket Council's code.
"The match referee went through the video footage and found the incident totally unprovoked. Just after the match, Harbhajan was shaking hands with all Kings XI players and Sreesanth was third among the players," IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said.
"He (Harbhajan) has been found guilty of violating level 4.2 of the ICC code of conduct that relates to physical assault on a player on field which is a very serious offence. He has been banned for the rest of the IPL this season," Modi said.
Soon after the incident on Friday, television shots showed a sobbing Sreesanth being comforted by team-mates 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."
Mumbai Indians' coach Lalchand Rajput was also fined 50 per cent of the match fee for not stopping the spinner's attack on Sreesanth. According to Modi, Rajput was standing right behind Harbhajan but did not take any action to restrain him.
Sreesanth was also warned by Indian cricket officials that his aggression on the field in future would be taken seriously.
After the press briefing, Harbhajan shook Sreesanth's hands, hugged him and apologized to his colleague before the press.
"I am very sorry for what I did. It was a mistake on my part. Sreesanth is like a brother to me," he 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.
