The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been swift and firm in dealing with players who have stepped out of line.

Harbhajan Singh's 11 match-ban after match referee Farookh Engineer found him guilty of slapping Sreesanth at the end of Mumbai Indians’ match against Kings XI Punjab, drives home the message loud and clear.

Misdemeanour of any sort on the field is not to be tolerated. The temperamental off-spinner, notorious for on-field skirmishes, will miss the remainder of the current IPL season. The ban is tough on the Mumbai team which has paid over Rs 3.4 crore for Bhajji, who led the team in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, but it is time the players understood that in a team game a thoughtless, hot-headed action like Bhajji's could cost the team dearly.

This sort of disciplining action was absolutely necessary to show that IPL means business and no on-field nonsense would be tolerated. And getting physical, in any circumstance, is a no-no. Bhajji has been fined 100 per cent of his match fee for Friday's game and stands to lose Rs 3 crore, but also faces separate action from the BCCI with whom he is a contracted player. Sreesanth has been let off with a warning after video evidence showed Harbhajan slapped him without any provocation. Even more noteworthy is the fact that Mumbai coach Lalchand Rajput has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee for not taking any action to restrain Bhajji despite being right behind the bowler when the incident took place. The IPL has served a timely reminder of a coach’s responsibilities.

Professionals should behave like professionals and not like recalcitrant schoolchildren. Cricketers need to be reminded that  they are not just heroes but role models. And aggression is not another name for bad behaviour.

The highly volatile Harbhajan and Sreesanth have been touted as the new breed of Indian cricketers who are not afraid to be aggressive on the field. But it seems they need to take a leaf or two out of the Aussie book to learn the way they handle aggro and sportsmanship. Sports psychology could perhaps play a role here. The BCCI has incorporated topics like yoga and meditation in its training sessions. Certain behavioural aspects related to sports psychology could be addressed too. In the long run, the players would benefit from such specialised counselling. Sreesanth would do well to learn to differentiate between playing hard and being theatrical.