‘I have requested Lord Ganesh to forgive…’ – Harbhajan Singh reacts after Lalit Modi releases unseen IPL 2008 slap video

Former India off-spinner once again admitted it was his mistake to slap S Sreesanth during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in the inaugural edition in 2008, after former league commissioner Lalit Modi released an unseen footage of the incident that was kept under wraps for 17 long years, which took place on the night of April 25 that year in Mohali.

After Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) defeated Mumbai Indians by 66 runs, players of both teams went for customary handshakes. But before anyone could sense anything, then Mumbai Indians spinner Harbhajan slapped then KXIP pacer Sreesanth with a backhand. While no video of the incident went public, Sreesanth’s sole picture of crying uncontrollably made the headlines for close to two decades.

However, at a time when both the players and their families have moved on from the incident, Modi ignited it once again by sharing the unseen footage during a Beyond23 Cricket Podcast with former Australian captain Michael Clarke last month. In fact, Sreesanth’s wife blasted both Modi and Clarke for the release of the video, stating it would impact both families once again and called the duo “inhumane, disgusting and heartless”.

Breaking his silence on release of the 17-year-old video, Harbhajan apologised once again and called Modi’s “selfish motive” behind this act. “Yes, the video has gone viral. It was an unfortunate incident, and I have said on many occasions that I made a mistake,” Harbhajan was quoted as saying to Instant Bollywood.

“Humans make mistakes, and I made one too. I have requested Lord Ganesh to forgive me if I make a mistake again. But the way the video has been leaked, it’s wrong. It shouldn’t have happened. They might have a selfish motive behind it,” added the former India cricketer.

“Something that happened 18 years ago, people have forgotten, and they are reminding people about it. I feel bad for whatever happened. We were playing, and everyone had things going on in their mind. Mistakes happened, and we do feel ashamed about it,” he added.

Lalit Modi defends release of video

According to Modi, the video was captured by one his security cameras after the game. The Indian-Vanuatuan businessman also defended his decision to release the video stating, he chose to speak the truth when asked by Clarke. “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 told IANS.