Harbhajan Singh was handed an eleven-match ban following his slapping incident with compatriot S. Sreesanth. With Mumbai already having played 4 matches, the ban effectively ends his IPL campaign. Harbhajan will only be eligible for selection if his teams makes it to the semi-finals.

Accompanied by coach Lalchand Rajput and Harsha Bhogle, Harbhajan was seen carrying a letter in response to BCCI's show cause notice. In his letter he apologised for the 'appalling' way he behaved at Mohali and said he was 'shocked' about his behaviour.

He pleaded guilty to the level 4 offense and said he regretted his actions. "I regret my action that have hurt Sreesanth's sentiments. I have no malice at all towards Sreesanth."

Harbhajan will face another hearing conducted by the BCCI. It looks likely that he will he face a 5-Test or 10-ODI ban.
 

The temperamental off spinner already admitted to the media persons of getting physical with Sreesanth. Slapping a fellow player constitutes a Level 4 offence as per the ICC Code of Conduct and carries a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum of five Tests or 10 ODIs for India’s premier off-spinner.  Earlier in the day, the BCCI had appointed advocate Sudhir Nanavati as commissioner to conduct a preliminary inquiry into Harbhajan Singh slap row. "As per the constitution, BCCI has appointed Sudhir Nanavati, advocate, Ahmedabad as commissioner to make preliminary inquiry and call for explanation from the concerned person(s) and submit his report within 15 days to BCCI president Sharad Pawar to look into the matter of disciplinary action against Harbhajan Singh," the cricket board issued a statement in the morning

Bhajji was accompanied by Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput. Sreesanth, who was also present for the hearing, was also be questioned on his conduct during the hearing.
 

The two players clashed after the Mumbai Indians fell to the Kings XI Punjab on Friday, and Harbhajan has been temporarily suspended for allegedly slapping his Indian counterpart. 
The spinner will face a hearing today which will be based on footage from one of the broadcaster's 21 cameras, but Dhoni insists that the exchanges leading up to the incident must also be established, and compared the situation with that of Italian Marco Matterazi and France's Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 football World Cup final. 

On that occasion, Zidane was sent off for head-butting Matterazi after the Italian allegedly insulted him.  "What Zidane did was wrong, but Materazzi also was not completely in the right," Dhoni wrote in his column for the Hindustan Times.  "Harbhajan is a very aggressive cricketer who plays hard and is there for his team-mates whenever they need him. Even Sreesanth has seen this supportive side of Harbhajan in the Indian dressing room.  "Sreesanth is also a very aggressive cricketer who likes to express his highs and lows very passionately on the cricket field. Off the field, you will not meet a more soft-spoken guy than Sree."  On Saturday the two players insisted that they had sorted the issue out and were now like "brothers of one family", but match referee Farokh Engineer said today that the incident would not be swept under the carpet.  IS Bindra, a member of the IPL governing council, told Cricinfo that Harbhajan faced a minimum ban of ten IPL matches, although it remains unclear whether the BCCI will impose a ban at international level as the judicial principle of double jeopardy ensures that no player should be punished for the same offence twice.

Sreesanth constantly abused Harbhajan Singh - Amiesh Saheba
 

Indian board to investigate Harbhajan incident
India's cricket board has ordered an independent investigation into allegations Harbhajan Singh slapped compatriot compatriot Shanthakumaran Sreesanth during a Twenty20 league game.

The controversial off-spinner was suspended and faces a disciplinary hearing by league organisers later today. The board said in a statement it had appointed advocate Sudhir Nanavati as commissioner to make a preliminary inquiry and to call for an explanation from those involved.

Nanavati has been asked to submit his report within 15 days to the board president in order to determine whether disciplinary action against Harbhajan might be appropriate.

The president will then refer the report to the disciplinary committee. The board on Sunday said it had felt "let down" by Harbhajan after having stood up for him in an ugly row in Australia this year.

Harbhajan was initially banned for three tests after being found guilty of making racist remarks against all-rounder Andrew Symonds, but was subsequently let off with a fine on a lesser charge following an appeal. Harbhajan is one of his country's most successful spin bowlers, but his disciplinary record has been poor. He was even ejected from the board's National Cricket Academy early in his career

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