Nearly 18 years after one of the most infamous moments in Indian Premier League history, the rift between S Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh has once again come to light. The former India pacer has criticised Harbhajan for appearing in a recent advertisement that referenced the controversial 2008 “Slapgate” incident. Sreesanth has stated that Harbhajan monetised the old controversy through a commercial reportedly inspired by the incident. According to his claims, Harbhajan earned ₹1 crore from the advertisement and even asked Sreesanth to promote it on social media, which he refused to do.

"I have never spoken about Bhajji in any interview. This is going to be the first time. Until recently there were no problems, but he made an ad about it once again. He made around Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore off it. He then called me and asked me to put a story on it. I told him, ‘I'll forgive but I'll never forget’. If someone wrongs you, you should forgive them but never forget. If you forget, they will do the same thing again. He is the biggest example for that. There is no doubt about that,” Sreesanth told Mathrubhumi.

Sreesanth revealed that he has cut off all ties with Harbhajan and even blocked him on social media. 

"I have no relationship with that person. I used to call him a brother. But in that last 1 or 2 months, he did that ad and now I have blocked him on Instagram,” Sreesanth said.

“My parents have taught me to forgive but never forget. I don't have any complaints against him, nor do I need him. May God bless him and his family. In many interviews, even with Ashwin, he talked about my daughter. People will think oh what a great person he is. He might be a great person. But for me from my time playing for India to now, in my opinion, it's all an act. That act is something Sreesanth doesn't accept,” he said.