Nearly 18 years after the infamous ‘slapgate’ rocked the IPL, the controversy is back in the spotlight.
Former league chairman Lalit Modi has reignited debate by leaking the unseen video of Harbhajan Singh slapping S Sreesanth during the 2008 season.
The clip, released on social media after Modi revisited the incident on Michael Clarke’s Beyond 23 podcast, has sparked outrage.
Sreesanth’s wife was among the first to slam Modi for reviving the controversy, while Harbhajan himself launched a scathing response, accusing the ex-IPL chief of having ‘selfish 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,’ Harbhajan told Instant Bollywood.
The former India off-spinner, who has repeatedly apologised for the slap and reconciled with Sreesanth, admitted he still feels remorse about the incident.
‘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,’ he said.
Harbhajan further reflected on the viral video, once again stressing that the incident was an unfortunate mistake on his part.
‘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,’ he added.
The infamous incident took place during the inaugural IPL season in 2008, earning Harbhajan an 11-match suspension. Though both players have since moved on, Lalit Modi’s decision to leak the video has brought the controversy roaring back into public memory.
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