Sreesanth revealed that his wife Bhuvneshwari was the main reason he did not kill himself during his 27 days in Tihar Jail following the 2013 IPL spot-fixing arrest. The former India fast bowler, who won both the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, made the admission during a candid interview on The Lallantop’s Guest In The Newsroom (GITN) in June 2026.
“When I was there, one of the main reasons I didn’t kill myself is her. I had promised her in 2010 that if we won the 2011 World Cup, I would marry her. I met her when she was in 10th grade in 2007, and we were in touch till 2013. She is the main reason I got bail.”
S Sreesanth, The Lallantop GITN, June 2026
Sreesanth was arrested in May 2013 alongside Rajasthan Royals teammates Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan on allegations of spot-fixing during the IPL. He spent 12 days in Delhi Police custody before being transferred to Tihar Jail, where he remained for 27 days. The arrest came just two years after he had been part of India’s World Cup winning squad at the Wankhede.
The former pacer said those days in custody exposed him to a reality he had never imagined. He spoke about the impact on his family, saying the entire country’s focus was on him for a full month. His niece and nephew stopped going to school. His parents were under constant scrutiny. For a man whose life had revolved around cricket since childhood, the isolation and public shaming pushed him to the edge in ways that professional cricketers across the world have struggled to speak about openly.
Sreesanth first met Bhuvneshwari at a school event during an India-Pakistan match in 2007. She was in 10th grade at the time. They stayed in touch over the next six years, meeting only a handful of times. Their fifth meeting was when they got engaged, while Sreesanth was out on bail. The two married on December 12, 2013, months after the arrest. Bhuvneshwari, who belongs to the Jaipur royal family, and her family stood by Sreesanth when public perception had turned entirely against him.
Sreesanth credited Bhuvneshwari for actively coordinating with legal teams during his incarceration. Her efforts were instrumental in securing his bail. At a time when he was being labelled a fixer and a cheat across national media, her family’s decision to go ahead with the wedding sent a clear signal of support. That decision, according to Sreesanth, gave him the strength to keep fighting the case.
He was acquitted of all charges by the Kerala High Court in 2015. The BCCI’s life ban was eventually reduced to seven years and lifted in 2020. Sreesanth played domestic cricket briefly before retiring from Indian domestic cricket in March 2022. He continues to play in the Legends League Cricket and Big Cricket League.
The Man Who Called Him “Fixer” Is Now India’s Head Coach
The same interview on The Lallantop also revealed fresh details about Sreesanth’s confrontation with Gautam Gambhir during a Legends League Cricket match in 2023. According to Sreesanth, the exchange went far beyond what was publicly known at the time.
“Gauti stepped out on the first ball and flicked it because he knows my game, he’s a very good cricketer. I don’t know about the coaching part, but he’s a very good cricketer. So, I bowled the bouncer. And you know what he said? ‘I own you’. It was clear, he abused me. What he shouldn’t have said, he did, he called me a ‘fixer’.”
S Sreesanth, The Lallantop GITN, June 2026
Sreesanth further claimed that when he leaned forward and asked Gambhir if he was okay, Gambhir used the F-word and repeated the words “fixer” and “deshdrohi.” Gambhir has not publicly responded to these claims.
Indian 2007 world cup winner bold takes on Gautam Gambhir.
He says india team doesn’t need Gautam ghambhir as a coach .
Video credit: the lallantop pic.twitter.com/6WR1bouiIL— AmitVerse (@patidarverse) June 19, 2026
Insider Read:
When Gambhir called Sreesanth “fixer” during that LLC match, it was not just a word thrown in anger. It was the one word that nearly ended Sreesanth’s life. This is the word that put him in Tihar for 27 days. This is the word that made his family hide from the public. This is the word that pushed him to the point where only a promise to his future wife stopped him from killing himself.
In a dressing room, being called a fixer by the public is one thing. You can shut out the noise, turn off the television, stay away from social media. But being called a fixer by a former teammate is something else entirely. Teammates are the people who were there in the nets, in the bus, in the hotel rooms after a long day’s play. They know what you went through. They know the charges were dropped. They know the courts cleared your name. When one of those teammates uses that exact word against you, it does not land as an insult. It lands as a betrayal.
And when that former teammate is now the head coach of the Indian cricket team, the weight of that word multiplies. Gambhir is not just an ex-player making a remark. He holds the highest coaching position in Indian cricket. For a man in that role to use the word “fixer” against someone who was acquitted, someone who nearly died because of that label, is a reflection of how cricket’s power structures treat those they have already punished.
Sreesanth then turned his criticism to Gambhir’s coaching itself. He said India does not need a coach and instead needs a mentor in the mould of MS Dhoni.
“Change the coach, friend. India needs a mentor, not a coach.”
S Sreesanth, The Lallantop GITN, June 2026
He argued that Gambhir puts excessive pressure on players and takes credit when the team wins without acknowledging the individuals who performed on the field. Sreesanth pointed out that India’s T20 World Cup 2026 victory was driven by Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, and smart bowling changes, not by the coach sitting in the dugout. He suggested that if India must have a coach, someone like Ashish Nehra, who keeps the atmosphere light and collaborative, would be a better fit.
Gambhir took over as India head coach in July 2024 and has guided India to two ICC titles, the Champions Trophy 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026. However, India’s Test record under his tenure reads eight wins, ten losses, and two draws from 20 matches, including clean sweeps at home against New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2). Sreesanth is not the only former cricketer to question Gambhir’s coaching record, with Mohammad Kaif rating his tenure 4 out of 10.
In the same interview, Sreesanth also issued an open boxing challenge to Harbhajan Singh over the 2008 IPL Slapgate incident that has resurfaced multiple times. Sreesanth, who is currently part of the Bare Knuckle Fight League, said he has blocked Harbhajan on Instagram after Harbhajan appeared in an advertisement referencing the slap. Harbhajan responded with a cryptic Instagram post saying “empty vessels make the most noise,” without naming Sreesanth directly.
Sources:
[The Lallantop GITN interview, June 18, 2026] S Sreesanth, Guest In The Newsroom
Also Read:
- Sreesanth Challenges Harbhajan to Boxing Match, Reignites IPL Slapgate Comeback
- Moises Henriques Opens Up on Mental Health Struggles in Professional Cricket
- Kaif Rates Gambhir 4 Out of 10 as India Coach
- Ashwin on Gambhir and Player Security in Indian Cricket
- Karthik Questions Gambhir and Agarkar’s Handling of Players
- Vikrant Gupta Reviews Gambhir and Agarkar’s Tenure
- Manjot Kalra LPL Match Fixing ICC Checks
- Kapil Dev on Life After Cricket
- Ashwin on Gambhir and Sanju Samson
- Gambhir’s Decision to Snub Kuldeep Yadav at Lord’s
