Harbhajan-Sreesanth Slapgate’s video from IPL 2008 Resurfaces: The Indian Premier League (IPL) may now be the richest cricket league in the world and a global sporting sensation, but its very first season in 2008 had its share of controversies. One of the most talked-about incidents from that year was when Mumbai Indians’ Harbhajan Singh slapped Kings XI Punjab pacer S Sreesanth – an episode that came to be known as “slapgate.”
For years, only the aftermath of that clash was public. But now, IPL’s founder and former chairman Lalit Modi has released raw, never-before-seen footage of the incident.
Lalit Modi Reveals What Cameras Missed – Harbhajan-Sreesanth Slapgate’s video
Speaking to former Australian captain Michael Clarke on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Lalit Modi revealed how the moment was caught.
“The game was over, cameras were shut off. One of my security cameras was on. It caught the incident between Sreesanth and Bhajji (Harbhajan), and Bhajji just gives him a back-hander. Here’s the video,” said Modi, before showing the footage.
“I hadn’t put it out for so long. We have 18 years behind us for this,” he added.
Harbhajan’s Regret Over the Harbhajan-Sreesanth Slapgate
In recent years, Harbhajan Singh himself has openly admitted how deeply he regrets the incident with Sreesanth. He even went as far as to say it’s the one moment from his cricketing career that he wishes he could erase.
“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. What transpired was wrong and I shouldn’t have done what I did. I apologised 200 times. What I felt so bad was even years after that incident, I have been apologising every opportunity or stage I get. It was a mistake,” Harbhajan Singh said in an interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin.
Unseen Video Of Harbhajan Singh Slapping S Sreesanth In IPL 2008 Released by Lalit Modi After 18 Years 😳
pic.twitter.com/DpKrhMykHl— RCBIANS OFFICIAL (@RcbianOfficial) August 29, 2025
Read More
An Emotional Encounter with Sreesanth’s Daughter
Harbhajan Singh also shared a heartbreaking personal moment connected to the controversy.
“What hurt me even after many years was when I met his daughter and I was talking to her with a lot of love and she said, ‘I don’t want to talk to you. You hit my father.’ My heart was shattered and I was on the verge of tears. I was asking myself what is the impression I’ve left on her? She must be thinking of me in a poor light, right? She sees me as the guy who hit her father. I felt so bad. I still apologise to his daughter,” he revealed.
ALSO READ: Roger Binny Steps Aside, Rajeev Shukla to Lead BCCI Till Elections
