Unseen Footage of IPL's Infamous Slapgate Incident Surfaces After 17 Years!
The Viral Clip of a Historic Cricket Controversy
New Delhi: A previously unseen video of the notorious IPL slapgate incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth has taken social media by storm, thanks to former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who released it on Friday.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) faced its first significant on-field scandal when it was reported that Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth after a match in 2008, where the Punjab Kings triumphed over the Mumbai Indians.
During the live broadcast, the cameras switched to a commercial break, causing viewers to miss the actual incident. When the feed returned, a distraught Sreesanth was seen on the field, leaving fans in shock and sparking outrage.
The newly released footage shows Harbhajan delivering a backhanded slap to Sreesanth during their post-match handshake, a moment that had remained hidden for years.
Sreesanth reacted angrily, rushing towards Harbhajan, which almost led to a physical confrontation, but players Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene intervened to prevent escalation.
The incident drew significant media attention and criticism towards Harbhajan, who later expressed remorse for his actions. Following a disciplinary hearing, he received a ban for the remainder of the season and was subsequently suspended for five ODIs by the BCCI.
Lalit Modi, who was the IPL chairman at the time, revealed the clip after 17 years during a discussion with former Australian captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.
"The game had concluded, and the cameras were off. However, one of my security cameras captured the incident between Sreesanth and Bhajji (Harbhajan), where Bhajji delivered a backhand slap. Here’s the video," Modi stated while showcasing the footage.
"I had kept it under wraps for so long. We have 18 years of history behind us for this," he added.
He later posted the video on social media, captioning it, "The famous slap in my podcast with @MClarke23 on #beyond23 – part 3 of my podcast. I have great respect for @harbhajan_singh – but after 17 years, it was time to unveil it. There’s much more to share, but that will only be in the upcoming movie, overseen by @SnehaRajani, who was the head of marketing at @Sony India during my tenure as chairman and commissioner of @IPL."