Unseen Footage of 2008 IPL ‘Slapgate’ Incident Released After 18 Years

Eighteen years after the infamous ‘Slapgate’ incident that rocked the inaugural Indian Premier League season, the previously unseen footage of the altercation between Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth has been released. The incident, which occurred during a 2008 match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, involved then-Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh slapping Sreesanth on the field. While the event was widely publicized at the time, the actual video of the incident remained unreleased until recently. Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi revealed the raw footage, captured by a private security camera, on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast. Modi explained that the footage was kept private for nearly two decades. The release of the video comes after Harbhajan Singh publicly reflected on the incident and offered his apologies. He has acknowledged the mistake and expressed remorse. The surfacing of the ‘Slapgate’ video serves as a reminder of the early, often turbulent, years of the IPL, where passion, intensity, and controversy frequently intertwined on and off the field. The incident continues to be a significant moment in the league’s history, illustrating the role of human emotion within the sport.