IN PICS: Bigg Boss 12 contestant Sreesanth's former girlfriends, cricket controversies and more

Bigg Boss 12 contestant Sreesanth's life, personal and professional, has been surrounded by controversies. Be it his former girlfriends or spot fixing allegation, the former cricketer has managed to stay in the headlines.

While Sreesanth has been praising his wife Bhuvneshwari Kumari on Bigg Boss 12, it has left his former girlfriend Nikesha Patel annoyed with him. She claimed that she she was in a relationship with Sreesanth around the time he was dating his wife, Bhuvneshwari Kumari. She told The Times Of India, "I've not met Sreesanth after the break-up, but I have been watching him on Bigg Boss. Sreesanth claimed on national television that he was in love with Bhuvneshwari for seven years before he got married to her. This makes me wonder, why was he in a live-in relationship with me for over a year around that time." (Photo: Instagram (L))While Sreesanth has been praising his wife Bhuvneshwari Kumari on Bigg Boss 12, it has left his former girlfriend Nikesha Patel annoyed with him. She claimed that she she was in a relationship with Sreesanth around the time he was dating his wife, Bhuvneshwari Kumari. She told The Times Of India, "I've not met Sreesanth after the break-up, but I have been watching him on Bigg Boss. Sreesanth claimed on national television that he was in love with Bhuvneshwari for seven years before he got married to her. This makes me wonder, why was he in a live-in relationship with me for over a year around that time." (Photo: Instagram (L))

Back in 2008, Shriya Saran and Sreesanth did a fashion show together, after which the two were spotted partying together. When the actress was quizzed by The Times Of India about several media reports about her affair with the cricketer, she had clarified, "Sreesanth and I are brand ambassadors for an upmarket product. Yes, we were there at a party together, but I barely spoke to him for five minutes. And, I was just being sweet. I don't even know him yaar."

In 2011, Riya Sen was spotted cheering for Sreesanth from the stands and the two also mingled with each other at events. They apparently got to know each other better while shooting for a jewellery commercial. Daughter of celebrated actress Moon Moon Sen, Riya is rumoured to have dated the cricketer for about a year before calling it quits. She had, however, denied all speculations on her social media by tweeting, "Guys please! I am not dating Sreesanth! I just attended three matches for Kochi and that's that. It was work! So, rest your imaginations."

After Riya Sen and Shriya Saran, the Indian Bowler was seen painting the town red with Shazahn Padmasee. Sreesanth was seen getting too close to the actress at an award function. An eyewitness had told Mirror then, "Shazahn and Sreesanth have gone for a drive in South Mumbai. They are sitting pretty close." When the actress was contacted to confirm the news, she said they were driving around the city after the matches. On her romantic equation, she had said, "Oh, Sreesanth and I are just good friends. I am busy with my career. He is sweet."

Sreesanth has been linked to Raai Laxmi, who is mostly seen in South Indian films. Sreesanth, however, had denied his link-up with her. Bollywood actress Surveen Chawla, too, was rumoured to be in a relationship with Sreesanth. They were participants in the dance reality series, Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena. Surveen was disappointed with Sreesanth's arrest in the spot-fixing scandal. Back then she had said, "The lure of money can make the sanest people go astray. I wouldn't be lying if I say that I am sad and disappointed with what Sreesanth did. I'm not going to mince words here, had it been a good friend or an acquaintance, my stand on the issue will be the same. While we are friends, I have not been in touch with him recently. I've always seen him as a person who has inspired people from Kerala to take up cricket. I was in Cannes when learned about his arrest; it was shocking."

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In 2013, Sreesanth got married to Bhuvneshwari Kumari of Jaipur's Shekhawat family at a temple in Kerala. Sreesanth counts his wife as one of the biggest support systems he has had before and after his marriage. Even when he was arrested due to the spot-fixing allegation, she decided to go ahead and get married to him. Talking exclusively to The Times Of India post his wedding, Sreesanth had said, "If not for her support I don' know how I would have survived the ordeal. I didn't know If I would play again. I felt like ending my life...I did think about my mom and dad, but they have three more children, and I said to myself they might survive even if I'm not around. Then, her father told me, 'Nayan still wants to marry you...' It felt like a breath of fresh air. After that, I couldn't think of leaving this world without marrying her. "

In 2013, Delhi police arrested Sreesanth and two of his IPL teammates on charges of spot-fixing. This led Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ban the cricketer from playing for the rest of his life. Even though in 2015, Sreesanth was acquitted from the case, BCCI did not see it as a reason to lift the ban from him. On 18 October 2017, Kerela High Court restored the life ban on Sreesanth. But a division bench of the high court later restored the ban on a petition filed by the BCCI against the single-judge bench's order.

Following the victory of Kings XI, Harbhajan Singh (playing for Mumbai Indians) slapped paceman S. Sreesanth during their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter in 2008. Post the incident, Sreesanth was seen crying bitterly on the ground at the end of the match. While Harbhajan kept silent, Sreesanth played down the incident by saying, "It is normal. Nothing serious happened. It is all in the game. I am fine. We will still be part of the national team." Following this, Harbhajan was banned from the remainder of the tournament for breaking code of conduct.