Breaking News! Harbhajan banned for 11 IPL Matches

Breaking News! The much-awaited verdict on Harbhajan Singh is finally pronounced. Match referee Farokh Engineer found Harbhajan guilty of Level 4.2 offence and imposed a 11-match IPL ban on him with immediate effect. Harbhajan pleaded guilty and admitted that he slapped Sreesanth after the IPL match in Mohali. The hearing was held in ITC Maurya in Delhi. The 11-match ban means Harbhajan won't be playing in any IPL matches this season unless Mumbai Indians reach the semi finals.

During the hearing, it became clear that Harbhajan hit Sreesanth without any provocation. The match referee got video footage from 7 different angles, which were sufficient to nail Harbhajan. He had no option but to plead guilty and wait for the verdict. He also submitted the explanation letter in reply to BCCI's show cause notice issued to him a couple of days ago. He regretted for hurting Sreesanth's sentiments. Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput was found guilty for that incident and was fined 50 per cent of his total match fee. Harbhajan won't be getting the remaining amount of his IPL contract. Sreesanth was let off with a warning.

TV Channels and newspapers across the globe have been speculating a 5/10 match for Harbhajan for his infamous slap to Sreesanth. Some even predicted a life ban for the ace spinner, who was instrumental in a number of Indian victories. It's high time the BCCI counsel its cricketers to exercise restraint on the filed. Or else, they will continue to bring shame to the country by their irrational behavior.