Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has finally reacted to the public release of the slapgate video by former IPL chairman Lalit Modi. The video, shared on Michael Clarke’s podcast ‘Beyond 23’, shows Harbhajan slapping ex-India pacer S Sreesanth after a 2008 IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.
At the time, the incident was not fully aired on television, with broadcasters cutting to commercials. The footage only showed Sreesanth in tears being consoled by teammates like Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene. The newly released video shows Harbhajan striking Sreesanth, leading to a brief brawl which was eventually controlled by players from both sides.
Harbhajan Apologises and Questions the Motive
Speaking to Instant Bollywood during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, Harbhajan expressed his disappointment over the video leak. “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,” he said.
He apologised for the incident, calling it unfortunate. “Mistakes happen, and I did one too. I feel bad for whatever happened. We were playing, and everyone had things going on in their mind,” he added. Previously, on Ravichandran Ashwin’s podcast, Harbhajan admitted he would never have slapped Sreesanth if he could go back in time and said that he now shares a good relationship with the former pacer.
The incident had led the BCCI and IPL organising committee to ban Harbhajan for 11 matches and forfeit his fees due to a breach of the code of conduct.
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