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The Indian Premier League (IPL) might have gone down in history as one of the most successful T20 leagues, it has also given some shocking as well as entertaining moments. While there have been on-field controversies, some have even broken into the scene after the conclusion of the matches. Among them, a well known story is the famous slapgate incident, involving two former Indian cricketers - S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh.
The incident took place in the inaugural edition when Harbhajan Singh, who played for Mumbai Indians (MI) at that time, slapped Kings XI Punjab’s (Punjab Kings now) S Sreesanth at the end of the match. Although the incident is still talked about, despite the two issuing apology in regards to the same.
You hit my father...: Harbhajan Singh recalls S Sreesanth’s daughter’s confrontation
But recently, Harbhajan Singh, who appeared in former India cricketer, Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube show Kutti Stories, revealed some heart-shattering story around it. Bhajji, as he is fondly called also added that he wishes to write off this incident from his career as he continues to apology till date, having done some 200 times.
When asked of the same, Harbhajan said, "One thing I'd want to change in my life is that incident with Sreesanth. I want to remove that incident from my career. That is the incident I would change from my list. What transpired was wrong and I shouldn't have done what I did. I apologised 200 times. What I felt so bad was even years after that incident, I have been apologising every opportunity or stage I get. It was a mistake."
He further went on to reveal what struck him harder was Sreesanth’s daughter confronting him of hitting her father. "What hurt me even after many years was when I met his daughter and I was talking to her with a lot of love and she said, 'I don't want to talk to you. You hit my father.' My heart was shattered and I was on the verge of tears. I was asking myself what is the impression I've left on her? She must be thinking of me in a poor light, right? She sees me as the guy who hit her father. I felt so bad. I still apologise to his daughter that I can't do anything," he added while speaking on Kutti Stories.
Although, the two have moved far away from the incident and now share amicable relation. After the incident transpired, the two were seen playing in Indian colours for several years and now also continue to do so in the veteran cricketing leagues around the world. While Harbhajan Singh is currently part of the India Champions side in World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, Sreesanth is spending some quality time away from cricketing field.
