IPL panel slaps 11-match ban on Harbhajan

Mukesh Ambani may be the 'Master Blaster' of the corporate world, but in cricket, he seems to have been clean bowled, going by the performance of his team, the Mumbai Indians, in the DLF Indian Premier League.

Not only have the Mumbai Indians lost all the four matches that they've played so far, they've also lost ace spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was captaining the side in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar.

The governing council of the IPL has 'slapped' an 11-match ban on the turbanator. Reason? It was proved that Harbhajan had 'slapped' actor Preity Zinta-owned Kings XI Punjab speedster S Sreesanth during their encounter at Mohali on Friday.

In addition to the suspension, the IPL governing council has also imposed a cash penalty on Harbhajan: 100 per cent of his match fees, beginning with the third match. Sreesanth, however, was let off with a stern warning by the match referee.

Of the 14 matches that each of the eight sides has to play, the Mumbai team has already played four. Considering that this incident occurred during the third match, Harbhajan will be entitled to the fees of only two matches.

The spinner was roped in by Mukesh Ambani for Rs 3.4 crore during the players' auction. Now, the spinner stands to lose Rs 2.9 crore. However, if Mumbai Indians reach the semi final stage, then Harbhajan can participate.

"There is a fine line between aggression and stupidity. Aggression is good for sports on the ground, but Harbhajan Singh has crossed the line," said Nirvik Singh, president (South and South-East Asia), Grey Global Group.

The Mumbai Indians' problems have been compounded by an injured Tendulkar, who has not been playing. Media experts feel that Mukesh Ambani, who bid a whopping $111.9 million (Rs 448.6 crore) for the team's franchise rights for 10 years, is headed for trouble.

"The team has not been able to perform. The local boys playing for the team are very good, but how much can they pull off without experienced players? However, if Sachin plays, there may be hope," said Hiren Pandit, managing partner, GroupM.

Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner, DLF IPL, said, "While we did appreciate Harbhajan for taking responsibility of his actions, the fact remained that his action against a fellow cricketer was unprovoked. More importantly, from a BCCI and IPL perspective, it was a conduct completely against the spirit of cricket. Importantly, all the cricketers playing in the inaugural season of the DLF IPL are role models for an entire generation of youth. And, it is crucial for youngsters all over the world to learn the values of this great game and the spirit in which it should be played. The eyes of the world will be on the DLF IPL and we want to see cricket, and the spirit of cricket, at its best."

Farokh Engineer, the match referee, also charged the coach of the Mumbai Indians, Lalchand Rajput, with a level-two misconduct, stating that he will forfeit 50 per cent of his match fee as he did not take any action to stop Harbhajan Singh.