Harbhajan Singh has been punished enough by the IPL for slapping S Sreesanth and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should not be very harsh when it hands out a separate penalty to the off-spinner, IPL match referee Farokh Engineer has pleaded.

Engineer, who adjudicated the hearing against Harbhajan that handed him a minimum of 11-match ban and a hefty fine that will see him lose close to Rs 3 crore, said he was hoping for a lighter sentence from the BCCI.
“I am sure BCCI will realise that Harbhajan’s punishment has been pretty harsh and I hope for Harbhajan that they are lenient on him. But I can’t really comment what the BCCI has to do,” Engineer said.

The former wicket-keeper said although Sreesanth, who was let off with a warning, was ‘no angel,’ Harbhajan’s actions could not be condoned no matter what the provocation.

“I don’t think Sreesanth is an angel. He is a lovely guy and he has been warned to take it easy... not to go beyond the mark. Harbhajan made a big mistake there, a mistake that has never been made before. You just cannot strike another person,” he said.

Engineer said the video evidence against Harbhajan was so strong that the IPL board had to take action. “The footage was extremely incriminating. In cricket, there is no body contact like football or boxing. It’s something that happened in the heat of the moment and he will be regretful about this  through the rest of his life,” he said.