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As the ongoing spat between former India cricketers S Sreesanth and Gautam Gambhir continues to simmer, Syed Kirmani, the head of code of conduct & ethics committee of Legends League Cricket, said that they’ll be conducting an internal probe into the matter.
After a heated altercation between the duo during India Capitals and Gujarat Giants game on Wednesday, Sreesanth posted two videos on social media revealing what Gambhir said to him and the latter responded with a cryptic Tweet through his X handle.
Here is an quick explainer on what Gambhir said, and what the case in 2013 was about:
What happened on the field?
In the second over, Gambhir hit a six and a four against Sreesanth. Then, the bowler bowled a dot ball after which there was a flare-up between the two. Umpires and teammates had to step in to separate the duo, who are both known to wear their hearts on their sleeves.
What did Legends League Cricket say?
“Legends League Cricket strives to uphold the spirit of cricket and sportsmanship and will conduct an internal investigation on the violation of the code of conduct. Any misconduct that has occurred both on and off the field including on social media platforms will be dealt with strictly. The code of conduct has clearly stated that necessary action will be taken against players that bring disrepute to the league, the spirit of the game and the teams that they are representing. We make our stand very clear and continue to work towards sharing the game with millions of cricketing lovers across the nation and world,” Kirmani said as quoted by the Legends League Cricket X handle.
What did Gambhir say after the controversy?
After the controversy, while Sreesanth posted two videos revealing what was said to him that had caused him to lose his temper, Gambhir just tweeted a cryptic message. “Smile when the world is all about attention!” he wrote.
Smile when the world is all about attention! pic.twitter.com/GCvbl7dpnX
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) December 7, 2023
What did Sreesanth say in his Instagram videos?
Sreesanth posted two videos, one right after the game and another one on Thursday.
“Fixer, fixer, you’re a fixer… you f**k off, fixer. He (Gambhir) kept saying that,” claimed Sreesanth in an Instagram live video on his handle on Thursday. “He kept on calling me that, on live television on the centre of the wicket. This is the language he used on live TV. He also told the same thing in front of umpires as they tried to control him.”
— IndiaCricket (@IndiaCrick18158) December 7, 2023
Why was Gautam Gambhir allegedly calling Sreesanth a fixer?
If Sreensanth’s allegations are true, then by calling him “fixer” Gambhir was making a reference to the infamous 2013 spot-fixing case which rocked the Indian Premier League.
In 2013, Delhi Police had arrested three cricketers, Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, on charges of spot-fixing. Sreesanth was arrested at his friend’s house. All three were playing for the Rajasthan Royals franchise at the time. Soon, BCCI banned Sreesanth from playing any form of cricket.
The case got bigger when actor Vindoo Dara Singh was arrested. Then, based on his testimony Gurunath Meiyappan, who was at a key position at Chennai Super Kings, and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra came under the radar. Due to the controversy, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla resigned while N Srinivasan too gave up his duties, albeit temporarily.
Delhi Police’s allegations were that the three players were giving signals to bookies via pre-decided gestures on the field. The police gave the example of a May 9 match between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals played in Mohali, where Sreesanth was bowling an over with a towel tucked into the waistband of his trousers. The police said this was a signal to bookies that he would now fix an over. (they noted that he had bowled the previous over without the towel.) Sreesanth gave away more than 14 runs in an over.
How is Sreesanth playing cricket if he was accused of spot-fixing?
In July 2015, Patiala House court dropped all charges against Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case, saying no prima facie case under MCOCA was made out against them.
Then, in March 2019, the Supreme Court lifted the lifetime ban on him. The apex court had also ordered the BCCI to rethink the quantum of punishment.
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