Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has defended his decision to release the infamous 2008 slapgate video, which showed Harbhajan Singh slapping pacer Sreesanth during the inaugural season of the IPL. The clarification came after Sreesanth’s wife, Bhuvneshwari Sreesanth, slammed him for reopening the controversy nearly 17 years later.
Speaking to IANS, Modi said he had only shared the truth when asked a question and insisted there was no reason for Sreesanth’s wife to be upset. “I don’t know why she is getting angry. I was asked a question, and I shared the truth. I can’t do anything about that. I am known to speak the truth. Sree was the victim, and that’s exactly what I said. No one had asked me this question earlier, so when Clarke quipped, I responded,” Modi stated.
The video, which resurfaced on social media days ago, once again brought focus on the ugly incident in Mohali during IPL 2008, when Harbhajan, then captain of Mumbai Indians, slapped Sreesanth after a match against Kings XI Punjab. Sreesanth was seen in tears, and the clip became one of the most controversial moments in IPL history.
Reacting strongly, Bhuvneshwari accused Modi and Michael Clarke of using the footage for “cheap publicity.” On Instagram, she wrote: “Shame on you @lalitkmodi and @michaelclarkeofficial. Both @sreesanthnair36 and Harbhajan have long moved on, they are fathers now with school-going children, and yet you try to throw them back into an old wound. Absolutely disgusting, heartless, and inhuman.”
While both Harbhajan and Sreesanth reconciled years ago and even played together later, Modi’s decision to revisit the controversy has once again ignited debate among fans and former players.
