Indian Premier League (IPL) founder Lalit Modi has shared unseen footage of Harbhajan Singh slapping S Sreesanth during the inaugural edition of the showpiece tournament in 2008. For almost 17 years, the video footage of one of the darkest and most talked-about chapters in IPL history remained hidden. However, the infamous "slapgate" incident has once again reignited, with Lalit Modi revealing details about the Harbhajan-Sreesanth incident on Michael Clarke's Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.Ā Harbhajan Singh Expresses Regret at ā€˜Slapgate’ Incident With S Sreesanth During 2008 IPL, Says ā€˜It Was My Mistake’ (See Post).

The infamous slapgate incident happened when Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) defeated the Mumbai Indians in an IPL 2008 match. The incident took place when players were shaking hands with each other, and Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth. After the shocking incident, the speedster was later seen crying on live television. Sreesanth was comforted by his fellow Punjab teammates. It is to be noted that the exact cause of the slapgate incident between two Indian cricketers was never confirmed. However, some reports suggested that Sreesanth's on-field remarks might have triggered Harbhajan, which made the off-spinner slap the speedster.

Lalit Modi Shares Unseen Footage of 'Slapgate' Incident

IPL founder Lalit Modi has reignited the infamous slapgate incident during Michael Clarke's Podcast. Lalit Modi revealed that the IPL 2008 match between the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and its cameras were shut off. Lalit added that Players were shaking hands, and Harbhajan said to Sreesanth, 'Come here,' and slapped him.Ā ā€˜You Hit My Father’ Harbhajan Singh Opens Up on Emotional Encounter With S Sreesanth’s Daughter Over IPL 2008 Slapping Incident (Watch Video).

"I'll tell you what happened. I will give you the video. I have kept it back. Bhajji 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. As the team finished playing, the players were high-fiving' and shaking hands with each other. When it came to Sreesanth and Bhajji. Harbhajan just said to him, ā€˜Come here', and gave him a backhander," Modi told Clarke on his show.

Lalit Modi Shares Unseen Footage of Harbhajan Singh Slapping Sreesanth

Harbhajan Singh-Sreesanth Slapgate Incident During IPL 2008

Harbhajan Singh Regrets His Action Against Sreesanth

Recently, Harbhajan expressed his regret about the slapgate incident with Sreesanth during an interaction with Ravichandran Ashwin.Ā Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth stated that it is one moment from their career that they would like to remove if they had the chance.Ā "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," he had said.Ā Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth were part of the Indian teams which won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 Cricket World Cup titles.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2025 12:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).