Watch: Unseen video of Harbhajan Singh slapping S Sreesanth finally released by Lalit Modi
Published - 29 Aug 2025, 04:58 PM | Updated - 29 Aug 2025, 05:00 PM
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One of the most controversial moments of the Indian Premier League (IPL) history has finally come to light. Actually, the former IPL founder and chairman, Lalit Modi, has released the unseen footage of the infamous "Slapgate" incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth in 2008.
In the infamous incident, Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan Singh slapped Punjab Kings pacer S Sreesanth during the inaugural IPL season in 2008. This incident was hidden from the public for nearly two decades, as only brief reports and word-of-mouth circulated among fans and media.
Unseen Slapgate footage of Harbhajan Singh vs S Sreesanth surfaces after 18 years
Now, Lalit Modi has released the unseen video on the former Australia captain Michael Clarke's podcast Beyond23 Cricket. The video shows Harbhajan striking Sreesanth on the field as players from both teams lined up for the customary handshake.
Sreesanth looks visibly shaken and tries to confront Harbhajan after the slap. Harbhajan also steps forward, escalating the tension on the field. The situation could have gotten out of control, but Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene quickly stepped in to calm things down.
Pathan held Sreesanth back while also confronting Harbhajan. At one point, the video shows Harbhajan pointing toward the boundary ropes, appearing to challenge Pathan to take the fight outside the playing area. At the time, TV cameras were switched off.
The full incident was only captured on the security camera of the former IPL chairman’s office at the time and remained private until now. Now, the release of this raw footage has reignited discussions among the cricket fraternity, reminding everyone of the infamous "Slapgate" incident.
Harbhajan Singh gave S Sreesanth a backhandee: Lalit Modi
Lalit Modi said on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast: “Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) is a very dear friend of mine. I love him. It happened on the field, and I was there. It was Bhajji, and it was Sreesanth. The game was over, and the cameras were shut off. Only one of my security cameras was on.
I was walking out of the field. As the team finished playing, the players were high-fiving and shaking hands with each other. When it came to Sreesanth and Bhajji. Bhajji just looked at him and said to him, 'Come here,' and gave him a backhander. Here's the video that we were talking about. I haven't put it out for so long.”
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The former IPL chairman further added, “I sat them both down, and I had to penalize Bhajji in that meeting. I did penalize him for eight games. Some people were gunning for a lifetime suspension, but we decided that it's a new league. Everybody learned a lesson. It wasn't about Bhajji or Sreesanth. We needed to set an example and boundaries.”
Lalit Modi released an unseen video of Bhajji–Sreesanth slapgate. pic.twitter.com/nH5vhpLyAe
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 29, 2025
Harbhajan Singh calls the 'Slapgate' incident the biggest regret of his career
Over the years, Harbhajan Singh has repeatedly apologized to S. Sreesanth for the infamous slap incident. Recently, he admitted that it was the biggest regret of his career and said that if he could go back in time, he would erase that moment entirely.
He had told R Ashwin on his YouTube channel, “One thing I'd want to change in my life is that incident with Sreesanth. I want to remove that incident from my career. That is the incident I would change from my list. I apologized 200 times. I have been apologizing every opportunity or stage I get. It was a mistake.”
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