Bhuvneshwari Sreesanth slams Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke for releasing IPL 2008 slapgate footage, calling it “disgusting, heartless, and inhuman,” saying it reopens old wounds and affects their children, despite Sreesanth rebuilding his life.
Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth’s wife Bhuvneshwari expressed her outrage at former IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi for releasing the actual footage of the slapgate incident, involving Harbhajan Singh, from the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008.
The IPL 2008 slapgate came to light when Sreesanth was caught crying on camera after being slapped by Harbhajan Singh following the match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians in Mohali. Sudhir Nanavati, who led the investigation into the matter, stated that he viewed the actual footage of the incident, and Harbhajan was subsequently suspended for the remainder of the IPL season.
However, the footage of the incident was not released to the public. 17 years later, Lalit Modi released actual footage of the controversial incident, which was aired on Former Australia captain Michael Clarke’s podcast ‘Beyond 23’. The incident was captured on Modi’s security camera, showing the confrontation in detail.
Scroll to load tweet…
The IPL 2008 slapgate incident had briefly put the tournament in the bad spotlight, with criticism from fans and experts alike, as the controversy cast a shadow over the tournament’s inaugural season. Harbhajan Singh became one of the controversial figures of Indian cricket following the incident.
‘You people are not even human’
Hours after the real footage of the IPL 2008 slapgate went viral on social media, S Sreesanth’s wife broke her silence, calling out the ‘inhumane’ act by Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke for publicly releasing the video, adding that her husband and Harbhajan Singh moved on from it.
“Shame on you @lalitkmodi and @michaelclarkeofficial. You people are not even human to drag up something from 2008 just for your own cheap publicity and views,” Bhuvneshwari wrote on Instagram story.
“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,” she added,
Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth have since reconciled and moved past the infamous slapegate. In a 2023 interview, Sreesanth referred to Harbhajan as his ‘elder brother’ and emphasized that the entire controversy was a misunderstanding blown out of proportion. While a former Indian spinner expressed deep regret over the incident, admitting it was a mistake, and wanted to remove it from his life.
‘Families are being forced to relive trauma’
Bhuvneshwari Sreesanth continued to criticise Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke, highlighting how the former Indian pacer had to rebuild his entire life and dignity after the slapgate incident, only to reopen the painful memories for public attention, forcing both families to relive the trauma and incident that took place nearly two decades ago.
She further rebuked Modi and Clarke for ‘hurting the families’ by digging up the past for their ‘own gain’.
“@sreesanthnair36 has rebuilt his life with dignity and grace after every hardship he faced. As his wife, and as the mother of his children, it is deeply painful for our family to see this resurface after 18 long years. Families are being forced to relive trauma that was buried decades ago, only so you can chase views. This doesn’t just hurt the players, it scars their innocent children who now have to face questions and shame for no fault of theirs.” Sreesanth’s wife wrote.
“You should be sued for doing something so cheap and inhumane. Sreesanth is a man of strength and character, and no video can take that dignity away from him. Fear God before you hurt families and innocent children for your own gain,” he added.
Despite the infamous slapgate saga in IPL 2008, S Sreesanth’s career was not impacted as he continued to play for India across all formats and was part of the team that won the ODI World Cup in 2011, defeating Sri Lanka in the Final at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. However, Kerala-born cricketer’s career was cut short due to match-fixing allegations during IPL 2013 and was subsequently banned from any form of cricket across all levels and had to face a lengthy battle to clear his name.
Sreesanth made his return to cricket during the Ranji Trophy for Kerala before deciding to retire from all forms of the sport after he went unsold at the IPL Auction in 2022.