Shanthakumaran Sreesanth (born 6 February 1983) is a former Indian cricketer, the first fast bowler from Kerala to play Test cricket for India. An outswing bowler with one of the best wrist positions of his time, he was a member of the teams that won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the World Cup in 2011. In 2013 he was arrested in the Indian Premier League spot-fixing case and banned for life; a court discharged him of the criminal charges, and the Supreme Court set aside the life ban in 2019.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Shanthakumaran Sreesanth |
| Born | 6 February 1983, Kothamangalam, Ernakulam district, Kerala |
| Age | 43 |
| Role | Fast-medium bowler |
| Bowling | Right-arm |
| International career | 2005–2011 (27 Tests, 53 ODIs, 10 T20Is) |
| Wickets | 87 in Tests; 75 in ODIs |
| IPL teams | Kings XI Punjab, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Rajasthan Royals |
| Spouse | Bhuvneshwari Kumari (m. 2013) |
| Children | 2 |
Early Life
Sreesanth was born at Kothamangalam, the youngest of four children. As a schoolboy he was a competitive breakdancer. He began as a leg-spinner and switched to pace as a teenager, trained at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai and made his debut for Kerala in 2002. He took a hat-trick in the Ranji Trophy, the first by a Kerala bowler.
International Career
He made his one-day debut against Sri Lanka at Nagpur in October 2005 and his Test debut against England at the same ground in March 2006.
His finest match came at Johannesburg in December 2006. He took five for 40 in the first innings as South Africa were dismissed for 84, finished with eight wickets and was player of the match in India’s first Test victory in that country. In the same game, after being taunted by the fast bowler André Nel, he hit him back over his head for six and danced down the pitch whirling his bat.
At the first T20 World Cup in 2007 he bowled a decisive spell in the semi-final against Australia, removing both openers, and in the final against Pakistan he held the catch that ended the match and won the title. He played in the final of the 2011 World Cup at Mumbai. His behaviour on the field, with frequent appeals, stares and celebrations, brought fines and warnings. In 2008, after an IPL match, he was slapped by his India team-mate Harbhajan Singh, who was suspended for the rest of the season.
Spot-Fixing Case
On 16 May 2013 the Delhi Police arrested Sreesanth and two Rajasthan Royals team-mates in Mumbai, alleging that they had agreed with bookmakers to concede a set number of runs in particular overs. He spent nearly a month in Tihar Jail. The cricket board banned him for life that September.
In July 2015 a Delhi court discharged him and all the other accused, holding that there was not enough evidence to frame charges under the organised crime law that had been invoked. The board maintained its ban. After contradictory rulings in the Kerala High Court, the Supreme Court in March 2019 set the life ban aside as disproportionate and asked the board to reconsider the punishment; its ombudsman reduced it to seven years, ending in September 2020. Sreesanth has always denied wrongdoing and has said that he confessed under pressure.
Comeback and Retirement
He returned to play for Kerala in 2021, at thirty-seven, and took a five-wicket haul in the one-day competition. He retired from Indian cricket in March 2022 and has since played in veterans’ leagues and worked as a television commentator. He is a co-owner of a team in the Kerala Cricket League. In 2025 the Kerala Cricket Association suspended him for remarks about its role in a selection controversy involving Sanju Samson, and later lifted the suspension after he apologised.
Beyond Cricket
During his ban he took part in dance and reality shows, finishing as runner-up in Bigg Boss in 2018, acted in Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada films and contested the 2016 Kerala Assembly election from Thiruvananthapuram as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, finishing third.
Personal Life
He married Bhuvneshwari Kumari, of a Rajasthan family, at Guruvayur in December 2013. They have a daughter and a son.
Featured image: S. Sreesanth fielding for India against Somerset at Taunton, July 2011. Photo by Harrias, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
