Why Was Former India Cricketer Sreesanth Suspended by KCA for Three Years?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Sreesanth has been suspended by the KCA for three years.
- The suspension stems from controversial comments about Sanju Samson.
- He has a history of disciplinary issues, including a previous life ban.
- Sreesanth plans to challenge the suspension legally.
- He concluded his career with impressive statistics across formats.
Kochi, May 2 (NationPress) The controversial former Indian pacer S. Sreesanth has been handed a three-year suspension by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA). This decision was reached during the latest annual general body meeting and was publicly announced by the KCA in a statement released on Friday.
According to the KCA's statement, “Sreesanth's comments criticizing the KCA regarding the exclusion of Kerala cricketer Sanju Samson from the national squad for the Champions Trophy were deemed unfounded and unnecessary. Therefore, we have opted to impose a three-year suspension on him.”
Sreesanth had claimed that the KCA had unfairly benched Samson for the Kerala team last year, which led to his omission from the national team for the Champions Trophy. Meanwhile, Sreesanth is awaiting official notification from the KCA, and sources indicate that he plans to pursue legal action against the three-year ban.
This incident is not Sreesanth's first brush with controversy; in 2023, he received a legal notice from the Legends League Cricket (LLC) Commissioner following his outburst concerning an on-field clash with current Indian men's team head coach and former player Gautam Gambhir.
Previously, Sreesanth faced severe repercussions during his final IPL match for the Rajasthan Royals against Punjab on May 9, 2013. He was implicated in a spot-fixing scandal which resulted in his arrest. Despite consistently asserting his innocence, he was issued a life ban along with Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila.
Sreesanth subsequently challenged this ruling in the Supreme Court, which annulled the life ban and mandated the BCCI to reconsider a new penalty. This led to his suspension being reduced to seven years, concluding in September 2020.
Following this, Sreesanth returned to play for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2021. He made his Ranji Trophy comeback, playing his last match against Meghalaya during the 2021-22 season, where he recorded figures of 2 for 40 and 0 for 57. Shortly after, he announced his retirement, concluding his career with 213 wickets in 74 first-class matches, along with 124 wickets in 92 List-A appearances and 54 wickets in 65 T20 matches.
His debut for India occurred in October 2005 in an ODI against Sri Lanka. Over his career, he played 53 ODIs, claiming 75 wickets, and participated in 27 Test matches and 10 T20Is, securing 87 and 7 wickets respectively.