The Indian Premier League (IPL), now celebrated as the richest cricket league in the world, has witnessed its fair share of controversies.
Among them, the infamous 2008 incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth, widely referred to as ‘Slapgate’, remained unseen for 18 years.
Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has now released the video footage of the altercation during a podcast with former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke.
In the clip, Harbhajan can be seen striking Sreesanth with the back of his hand during the customary post-match handshake after a game between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab.
“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,” Modi said while unveiling the footage. “I hadn’t put it out for so long. We have 18 years behind us for this.”
At the time, live broadcast coverage had cut to commercials. When the streaming resumed, visuals of Sreesanth in tears stunned viewers.
The altercation was triggered after Punjab’s 66-run victory. Sreesanth, smiling, walked up to the Mumbai Indians skipper and said “hard luck.”
Earlier in the match, Sreesanth’s dismissal of Shaun Pollock and subsequent exchange of words with Robin Uthappa further inflamed tensions.
Harbhajan later apologised in the dressing room. But the image of a teary-eyed Sreesanth went on to define the controversy.
Then Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh, despite his close friendship with Harbhajan, called the act “ugly and unacceptable.”
The BCCI suspended Harbhajan for the remainder of the season.
The newly surfaced video also shows Mahela Jayawardene intervening to restrain Sreesanth, with Irfan Pathan seen attempting to calm the pacer.
Harbhajan can then be seen making an angry gesture towards Sreesanth before Punjab players ensured the situation did not escalate.
Over the years, Harbhajan has repeatedly apologised. He said slapping Sreesanth was one of the biggest regrets of his life.
“If I have to go back and rectify something in my life, I would correct that. I shouldn’t have done that. That was a mistake and I am sorry about that,” told Behindwoods Air in 2019.
Sreesanth later played down the matter in 2023, stating, “We have always been friends. That was just a misunderstanding and the media made a big noise out of it. I will just say that Bhajji pa has supported me from the beginning in every way, including recently with commentary tips.”
Harbhajan has continued to express remorse. In an interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin on July 20, he revealed that the incident remains the one moment from his career he would erase if possible.
“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. She sees me as the guy who hit her father. I felt so bad. I still apologise to his daughter,” Harbhajan said on Ashwin’s YouTube show “Kutti Stories with Ash”.
Despite the controversy, Harbhajan and Sreesanth went on to play together for India, including in the 2011 World Cup-winning squad, and have also shared the commentary box in recent years.