KCA suspends Sreesanth for three years over Sanju Samson controversy

The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) on Friday suspended former international cricketer S Sreesanth for three years. The decision came in response to Sreesanth's controversial statement against the KCA over the exclusion of Sanju Samson from the Indian cricket team for the ICC Champions Trophy held earlier this year.

The decision was made at a special general body meeting held on April 30 in Kochi. With the decision, Sreesanth will be barred from participating in any activities conducted by the KCA, including playing in matches organised by the association, KCA Secretary Vinod S Kumar told Onmanorama. 

It was earlier alleged that Sanju's non-participation in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala was the reason behind his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad. Sreesanth came in support of the player and criticised the KCA for his exclusion from the team.

Following the incident, the KCA served a notice to Sreesanth and accused him of tarnishing its image with remarks in the media. Sreesanth is the mentor and brand ambassador of the Kollam Aries Sailors franchise, which is part of the KCA's Kerala Cricket League. 

The KCA also issued show-cause notices to franchise teams following his remarks. However, since the teams provided satisfactory responses, further action against them was deemed unnecessary. The KCA also instructed them to exercise caution while including members in team management.

KCA meeting also decided to file a compensation suit against Sanju's father Samson Viswanath, Regi Lukose, and a 24x7 channel presenter for making baseless allegations against Sanju's exclusion from the team.