Harbhajan Singh slams 'Selfish' Lalit Modi for releasing slapgate video

The infamous IPL 2008 "slapgate" scandal resurfaced after nearly two decades, following the former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi's leaking of the unseen video of Harbhajan Singh slapping fellow cricketer S Sreesanth. Post the incident, Harbhajan slammed Modi, calling his actions selfish and unnecessary.

The slapgate episode took place during the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 after a match between the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). Harbhajan, then captain of Mumbai, lost his cool and slapped Sreesanth during the post-match handshake ritual. While television cameras cut to a commercial break at the time, only Sreesanth’s tears and his teammates consoling him were captured, leaving the actual footage unseen by the public. Harbhajan was subsequently banned for 11 matches and fined for breaching the code of conduct.

For years, Harbhajan apologised to Sreesanth, and both players moved on, even sharing good relations later. However, the controversy was brought back into the spotlight when Lalit Modi, appearing on Michael Clarke’s Beyond 23 podcast, released the never-before-seen video for the first time. The former spinner slammed Modi for his motives.

"The way the video has been leaked it's wrong. It shouldn't have happened. They might have a selfish motive behind it. Something that happened 18 years ago, people have forgotten, and they are reminding people about it. I feel bad for whatever happened. We were playing, and everyone had things going on in their mind. Mistakes happened, and we do feel ashamed about it. Yes, the video has gone viral. It was an unfortunate incident, and I have said on many occasions that I made a mistake. Humans make mistakes, and I did one too. I have requested Lord Ganesh to forgive me if I make a mistake again. Mistakes happen," Harbhajan told Instant Bollywood.