A previously unreleased video of the infamous ‘slapgate’ incident from the 2008 IPL season, involving Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth, has been made public, leading to a renewed wave of controversy. The incident occurred after a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, with Harbhajan Singh slapping Sreesanth. The video, which was unseen by the public for 17 years, was released by Lalit Modi, the former IPL commissioner, who revealed the footage was recorded by a security camera.
The match took place in the inaugural season of IPL. After the game where Kings XI Punjab defeated Mumbai Indians, the confrontation occurred during the customary post-match handshakes. Harbhajan Singh, then playing for Mumbai, was seen slapping Sreesanth, who was representing Punjab. While the news and images of the incident were circulated, the video remained hidden from the public eye.
Lalit Modi, who was instrumental in bringing the IPL to the global stage, shared the footage with Michael Clarke for his podcast. The video’s release has drawn strong criticism, especially from Sreesanth’s wife, Bhuvneshwari. She took to social media to express her displeasure, targeting both Modi and Clarke for their actions.
Bhuvneshwari’s social media post included harsh words for Modi and Clarke, labeling their actions as insensitive and an exploitation of past events for personal gain. She emphasized that both Sreesanth and Harbhajan have moved forward in their lives and bringing this incident back is causing unnecessary pain. She even suggested that legal action might be needed against both Clarke and Modi for their roles in releasing the video.
Despite the controversy, both Harbhajan and Sreesanth continued to play together for the Indian cricket team, including the 2011 World Cup-winning squad, and they’ve appeared in various cricket-related shows and advertisements together since the incident.