During the Legends League Cricket (LLC) Eliminator on December 6, former India teammates Gautam Gambhir and S Sreesanth engaged in a heated exchange at the Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat. The incident unfolded in the second over of the match, ultimately won by the Capitals, as Gambhir faced off against pacer Sreesanth, hitting a six and a four on consecutive deliveries. Subsequently, tensions rose between the two players after the conclusion of the over.
Heated conversation between Gautam Gambhir and S Sreesanth in the LLC. pic.twitter.com/Cjl99SWAWK
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 7, 2023
Thursday morning witnessed the surfacing of a video. Capturing a heated exchange between former Indian players Gautam Gambhir, who was leading India Capitals, and S Sreesanth, playing for Gujarat. The altercation required intervention from other players and the umpire to separate the two.
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On Thursday, LLC issued a statement regarding the dispute between the two players. Announcing an internal investigation into the alleged violation of the code of conduct.
However, the LLC commissioner isn’t happy with Sreesanth’s social media tirade. Suggesting it was a ‘breach of contract’ from the pacer.
As per the legal notice issued by LLC, Sreesanth’s rant on social media about the on-field incident was a ‘breach of contract’. They believe the notice said that no dialogue is possible with Sreesanth. Until he removes all videos he has posted on social media. The notice also said to have stressed. That the on-field umpires did not report mention use of any expletives by Gambhir on the field.
Gambhir Sreesanth social media fight
Following the intense exchange, Sreesanth accused his former teammate, Gambhir, of labelling him a “fixer” during their verbal altercation. In a video posted on Instagram, Sreesanth clarified the situation, stating, “A lot of people have been asking me what happened. I am not going to spend a lot of PR to spread wrong news, I came live to clear the air. ”
“And I am just a normal person, God has been kind to me. Have fought my battles by myself, with the help of loved ones and your support. On live TV, on the centre wicket, he called me a fixer…fixer…fixer. I did not use any abusive words, just questioned him, “what are you saying”. I just laughed sarcastically. He even said the same language to the umpires even though I moved away.”
While Gambhir has not explicitly addressed or clarified the situation. He appeared to indirectly criticise the former Indian pacer on social media. On Thursday, Gambhir shared a cryptic tweet. Notably, Gambhir’s tweet surfaced shortly after a video of him engaging in an argument. With former Indian pacer Sreesanth during the Legends League Cricket (LLC) match. Between India Capitals and Gujarat Giants circulated on social media.
Emotions are always running high, when you were very passionate about your game.
Sreesanth and Gambhir in an animated chat during the @llct20 Eliminator!#LegendsLeagueCricket pic.twitter.com/Qjz8LqC41l
— Nikhil đ (@CricCrazyNIKS) December 6, 2023
The caption of Gambhir’s post read, “Smile when the world is all about attention!” The post included a picture of him smiling.
Backfire by Sreesanth
Under the post Sreesanth commented, âYou have exceeded the boundaries of a sportsman and a brother, and above all, you represent the people. Yet, you continue to engage in conflicts with every cricketer. What is the matter with you? All I did was smile and observe, and you labeled me a fixer? Seriously?”
“Are you above the Supreme Court? You have no authority to speak in such a manner and say whatever you please. And You even verbally abused the umpires, and yet you speak of smiling? You are an arrogant and utterly classless individual who lacks any form of respect for those who supported you.â
âUntil yesterday, I always held respect for you and your family. However, you used the derogatory term âfixerâ not just once, but seven or eight times. You even resorted to using the F-word towards the umpires and myself, persistently trying to provoke me. Anyone who has experienced what I have endured would never forgive you. Deep down, you know that what you said and did was wrong. Im sure even God wont forgive you. You didnât even come to the field aftwr that..Come on, God is watching everything,â the 40-year-old said.
Interestingly, former Indian bowler Irfan Pathan responded to Gambhir’s post with a concise comment, “Best answer.”
What LLC had said before
“The incident that has been the talk in the cricketing world violates the code of conduct and necessary action will be taken against all that have violated the very clear rules stated by the league’s Code of Conduct and Ethics Committee,” LLC said in an official statement.
“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. They will strictly deal with any misconduct that occurs both on and off the field, including on social media platforms.
“The code of conduct clearly states that necessary action will be taken against players who bring disrepute to the league, the spirit of the game, and the teams they represent. We make our stand very clear and continue to work towards sharing the game with millions of cricketing lovers across the nation and world,” Syed Kirmani, Head of Code of Conduct & Ethics Committee, Legends League Cricket said in an official statement.
Statement by Raman Raheja
“All players contracted in the Legends League Cricket are bound by certain terms related to misconduct and necessary action will be taken as per the codes of conduct laid down by the Code of Conduct & Ethics Committee. We are taking appropriate action against the breach of contract.” Raman Raheja, CEO of Legends League Cricket said.
“Unfortunately, this incident that is making the rounds on social media pulls focus if only for a short time away from what has so far been an extremely exciting season so far with national and international legends playing together for their respective teams.”
“Legends League Cricket aims to continue to be focused on the league itself and let the ASCU and Code of Conduct & Ethics Committee handle the internal investigation and subsequent action with respect to the involved individual/s that will be held in violation of the code of conduct for their comments including ones made on social media,” LLC further stated in an official release.
Sreesanth clearification to LLC
Sreesanth further alleged that former India opener Gambhir displayed inappropriate behaviour towards other players too. Notably, Sreesanth was implicated in the spot-fixing scandal in 2013 while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He, along with Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, was arrested by Delhi Police for their roles in the scandal.
Sreesanth cleared in insta live that gambhir called him fixer pic.twitter.com/YDZQHL2Nqk
— Pushkar (@musafir_hu_yar) December 7, 2023
Read more: Sreesanth rips apart Gambhir publicly for calling him âFixerâ
