For the better part of his chequered career, Sreesanth has had a hugely controversial image. The 30-year old has been linked to a series of controversies ever since his stint with the national team.
His image as a mercurial character has reflected in his bowling as well. Once regarded as one of the best practitioners of out-swing, his performance graph has plummeted sharply in recent years. Just like his erratic bowling, his image and reputation has also gone awry.
The bowler was involved in the notorious slap-gate controversy. During a match against Mumbai Indians, Sreesanth, who was then part of Kings X1 Punjab, was seen crying after he was slapped by rival skipper Harbhajan Singh, who later was suspended from playing in the remaining part of the 2008 edition.
later, his form drifted away and he was later dropped from the national team. But the Kerala pacer failed to control his anger and aggression. In the following year, he was warned regularly by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his on-field antics and verbal duels with several international players.
Following it, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) advised him to mend his behaviour failing which he will earn a domestic ban. But the errant cricketer did not take any heed and continued to be indisciplined.
To make matters worse, Sreesanth drew the ire of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) for violating the code of conduct.
However, later on, Sreesanth, who has played 27 Tests and 53 ODIs, tried to stage a comeback into the national team through hard work. He excelled in the Ranji Trophy and was called up for the India A side.
He has enjoyed a decent outing in the IPl after joining the Rajasthan Royals, claiming five wickets in seven games. But, due to inconsistency, he was made to sit out in half of Rajasthan's matches.
However, following allegations of involvement in spot-fixing during a match against Kings X1 Punjab on May 9, his controversial career could be at an end.
Baby of the lot
left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan has played only two matches in this IPl season. In the first, he was quite good against the Kolkata Knight Riders, giving away 28 runs and taking a wicket in his four overs. But the second game proved to be his doom as he was caught by the police for spot-fixing in the game against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday night. The 25-year old represents reigning champions Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. His success has largely been built around the hard work that he has done in the last five years.
Before being named in the fixing scandal, he was the premier spinner in the Mumbai squad and was instrumental in helping his team win the Ranji Trophy as he finished as the highest-wicket taker for the team with 33 scalps in 10 matches. He is an established player the limited-overs team since his debut in 2008. Apart from being a good left-arm spinner, he is also a handy lower-order batsman and these attributes earned him a place in the Rajasthan Royals.
Earlier this year, he emerged as Mumbai's leading spinner in their 40th title triumph. He eclipsed Iqbal Abdullah, another promising left-arm spinner, to be the No 1 spinner in the side. The highlight of Chavan's career came when he single-handedly brought Mumbai back into the game with a nine-wicket haul against Punjab in a Group A match. Mumbai had conceded a sizeable first innings lead but his spell of 9 for 23 brought Mumbai very close to an unexpected win. Chavan received accolades from every quarter for his performance. However, with this scandal coming up, his rising career has most likely seen the sunset.