In the latest episode of Sreesanth and the Kerala Cricket Association being involved in the controversies, the association has banned the former cricketer for 3 years.
Citing the ban, the two-time World Cup-winning speedster will not be allowed to be involved in any cricket-related activity that comes under the state association's jurisdiction.
Sreesanth faces this ban after he stood for Sanju Samson and publicly made comments against the KCA, despite a prior show cause notice in February.
Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
Additionally, the association has also shown their intentions to file a defamation lawsuit against Samson's father over his comments in media.
Explore how the events panned out between the parties.
Why is Sreesanth banned by the KCA?
In the special KCA general body meeting in Kochi on April 30, they decided to take action against the ex-India bowler as his comments in the media were against the contractual agreement between the board and the franchise owners.
Sreesanth co-owns a team in the Kerala Cricket League Champions, called the Aries Kollam Sailors.
HAPPY HOUR: Get exclusive Happy Hour reload bonuses when you bet on IPL action, click here
"Following the controversial remarks, the KCA had issued show-cause notices to Sreesanth and the franchisee teams Kollam Aries, Alleppey Team Lead content creator Sai Krishna, and Alleppey Ripples. As the franchisee teams gave satisfactory replies to the notice, the meeting decided not to proceed with further action against them."
"However, the KCA instructed the team management to be vigilant when including new members,” the KCA statement said.
They also said the notice was not for supporting Sanju Samson but for making "false and defamatory statements" that violated the contractual terms as a franchise owner.
They went on to add about the support from KCA during Sreesanth's term in jail in the match-fixing scandal.
READ MORE: Top 10 bowlers who have bowled most dot balls in IPL 2025
“When Sreesanth was in jail facing allegations in the infamous match-fixing scandal, KCA officials visited and supported him. Although the court quashed the criminal case, it is a fact that he has not been acquitted in the match-fixing case. In such a situation, there is no need for Sreesanth to take up the protection of other players,” the statement read.
What did Sreesanth say about KCA?
The former right-arm quick had earlier spoken about Sanju Samson getting snubbed from the Vijay Hazare Trophy due to not attending the camp back in February, which jeopardized his ICC Champions Trophy chances.
"They [KCA] take players from other states to play for us. For what? Disrespectful to our Malayali cricketers. We have just one player at international level, Sanju. Let’s all support him,” Sreesanth said.
“The so-called KCA has not produced an international cricketer since Sanju. We have great players like Sachin, Nidheesh, Vishnu Vinod, and many others, but are they pushing them to play at a higher level?” he questioned.
Why is KCA filing defamation case against Sanju Samson's father?
The association is planning to file defamation against Sanju's father, Viswanath Samson as a result of him voicing his rather strong opinions against the KCA officials, blaming them for conspiring against Sanju as he missed out on the Champions Trophy winning squad.
"I knew about six months ago that they are planning something against Sanju. KCA were plotting things in a way that he left Kerala. We couldn't fight with them. There are directors there. You can't talk back to them, you can't challenge them," he told Sports Tak.
He also showed his willingness to move out of Kerala for betterment of Sanju's future,
READ MORE: ‘I would not have bought Vaibhav Suryavanshi’: Ex-CSK player on RR’s auction missteps
"My child is not safe. They will put the blame on Sanju for everything, and people will believe them too. So I really want my son stop playing cricket for Kerala. If any state wants to give my son a chance, saying 'Sanju, come and play for us', I am willing to make that appeal," Viswanath added.