WATCH: Lalit Modi Shares Unseen Video Of Harbhajan Slapping Sreesanth

Referred to as ‘Slapgate’, the altercation between Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth remains one of the earliest, ugliest, and most controversial incidents in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. The episode unfolded after the Mumbai Indians (MI) faced Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in Mohali in 2008, when images of a tearful Sreesanth dominated TV screens.

The next morning, the incident made headlines. It emerged that Harbhajan, serving as MI’s stand-in captain, had slapped the Kerala pacer following an allegedly offensive remark. As a consequence, Harbhajan was handed a hefty fine along with an 11-match ban, ruling him out for the remainder of the inaugural IPL season.

Nearly 18 years later, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi revealed unseen footage of the incident on Michael Clarke’s Beyond23 Cricket Podcast. Speaking about the event, Modi said, “It happened. Absolutely. And I’ll tell you what happened.

“One of my security cameras was on because I was walking onto the field, and it caught the moment. As players were exchanging handshakes, Bhajji just looked at Sreesanth, said something, and gave him a backhander. That’s what the footage shows. I haven’t put it out for so long. But yes, it happened.”

Catch the never-before-seen footage beginning at 13:16 in the video below.

Harbhajan went on to enjoy a decorated IPL career, representing MI, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He finished with four titles and 150 wickets at an economy rate of 7.07. Meanwhile, Sreesanth featured in 44 games, claiming 40 wickets at an average of 29.75 and an economy rate of 8.11.