In a Country that Bleeds Blue & worships cricket as a religion, cricketers are no less than idols or Gods for them. Indians follow Cricket with Passion and cricketers are an integral part of the game. Budding cricketers make a point to imitate veteran cricketers & follow in their footsteps. But imagine if Players come into the limelight for the wrong reasons how these young minds will perceive their actions? Mostly Cricketers make a point to maintain a decent image publicly & become the right role model for youngsters. But often it happens that Cricketers end up altercation of law & get into legal trouble. So let us have a look at the Indian Cricketers who got involved in Criminal Cases & spoiled their image publicly. The list will shock you & make you speechless!
5 Indian Cricketers who were Involved in Criminal Cases:
5) Navjot Singh Sindhu
Former India player Navjot Singh makes an entry into the list of Indian Cricketers who were involved in Criminal Cases. In an instance of road rage, Sindhu was accused of criminal homicide not amounting to murder. The victim Gurnam Singh was a Patiala Resident who was allegedly beaten by Navjit Sindhu in October 1988. After the incident, he was taken to hospital where the victim was declared dead on arrival. Court cases followed after that & in 1999 Sidhu was acquitted by the court. Seven years later the cases reopened & this time court found him guilty & sentenced him to 3 years of imprisonment. Siddhu appealed the verdict of the district court & the SC stayed his sentence but granted him bail. After getting bail he contested Lok Sabha Elections but couldn’t win it.
4) Amit Mishra (Assault Charges)
When Indian Cricketers who were involved in Criminal cases are talked about, Amit Mishra hits the list. The prolific leg-spinner was arrested by the Bangalore Police on Charges of Assaulting a woman in a hotel room. Notably, the victim was a long-time friend of the cricketer. But what actually happened between the duo? It all started in 2015 before India’s series against South Africa. Amit checked into the hotel room & his friend visited him. It has been reported that Amit verbally abused the victim & even broke her ring finger. Amit was booked under the Indian Penal Code Sections 354- assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty – and 328 – causing hurt with intent to commit an offense.
Following the incident Mishra was subjected to three hours of interrogation. Following the questioning he was released on bail. This incident tained Mishra’s image & soon he announced his retirement from International Cricket. However, Amit Mishra played for Delhi Capitals in the IPL & performed for the franchise.
3) Vinod Kambli (Assault Charges)
Vinod Kambli is another player on the list of Indian Cricketers involved in criminal cases. Kambli is the childhood friend of legendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar. He is known for his power-hitting capabilities & remembered for his 664-run stand with Tendulkar in a school match. He had a short but worthy career & holds numerous records such as the highest average for an Indian batter. In August 2015, Kambli & his wife were involved in an unwanted controversy after the duo were booked for assaulting their maid.
She had been working with the couple for nearly two years. After the incident, the maid went & lodged a police complaint against Kambli & his wife for assault & wrongful confinement for three days. As per her complaint, the maid was abused by the cricketer & his wife for her salary. An FIR was then filed by the police & Kambli was booked under IPC sections 342, 34, 506, and 504.
2) Suresh Raina- Protocol Violation
Surprisingly CSK’s former batter Suresh Raina also makes a cut into the list of Indian Cricketers involved in Criminal cases. The prolific top-order batter was found guilty of violating COVID-19 Protocols in December 2020. Raina was attending a party at the Dragonfly Club in Mumbai when the police raided the place. Along with him, 34 people were arrested, which included as many as 7 staff members.
The raid was conducted at the club was functioning beyond permissible hours with the COVID-19 norms in place. Singer Guru Randhawa was also arrested, and both Suresh Raina and he were released on bail. They were booked under sections 188, 269, and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). Raina couldn’t participate in the IPL 2020 as players were under a bubble in their respective hotels & as Raina had already violated COVID-19 protocols he couldn’t enter the bio-bubble.
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S Sreesanth- Spot Fixing Scandal
No one can forget India’s pace sensation of 2000’s, Sreesanth. A part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad, Sreesanth was a part of the list of Indian Cricketers involved in Criminal Cases. The Indian pacer was extremely energetic on the field. He didn’t hold back his emotions & was known for responding to any kind of sledging on the field. He was a part of the famous slapgate scandal with Harbhajan Singh. During IPL 2013, Sreesanth was found guilty of engaging in corruption & was subjected to a lifetime ban by the BCCI.
Sreesanth stayed in Tahir Jail for a month but due to lack of proper evidence, he was released on bail. Sreesanth then appealed the verdict of a life ban & later BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain released a statement reducing his ban to seven years instead. Sreesanth’s ban was lifted on September 13, 2020, and he has played a few domestic games since. Currently, in the ODI World Cup 2023, Sreesanth is a part of the Star Sports broadcasting team where he is sharing his experience about the game.
Our Final Verdict
These are Indian Cricketers who have created magic on the field but ended up spoiling their career by getting involved in criminal cases. They were prolific players of the Indian team but the violation of law resulted in their image tarnishing in front of fans. Some of them could make a U-turn & improve their image while some could never get back into the good books of fans.
We are sure you too have some names of Cricketers who grabbed the limelight for all the wrong reasons. So share with us the name of any cricketer who has been involved in a criminal case & got left out from the list. Let those interesting answers flood our comments section below!
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