How Harbhajan-Sreesanth slapgate clip got leaked!

• Lalit Modi released unseen 2008 IPL "slapgate" footage of Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth.
• Harbhajan banned for season after Punjab's win; Sreesanth was restrained by teammates.
• Harbhajan regrets the incident; Sreesanth's daughter's reaction left him "shattered".

One of the most infamous controversies in Indian Premier League (IPL) history has returned to the spotlight nearly two decades later. The long-hidden footage

of the 2008 "slapgate" incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth has finally been made public, sending fans back to one of the IPL's earliest and ugliest flashpoints.

For years, only fragments of the episode were known. During a clash between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the IPL's first season, broadcasters cut to a commercial break just as tempers flared.

When cameras returned, viewers were stunned to see Sreesanth in tears-a moment that quickly became iconic. The details of what actually happened, however, remained locked away.

Unseen Video Of Harbhajan Singh Slapping S Sreesanth In IPL 2008 Released by Lalit Modi After 18 Years 😳
pic.twitter.com/DpKrhMykHl

- RCBIANS OFFICIAL (@RcbianOfficial) August 29, 2025

That changed when former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi released unseen footage on Michael Clarke's Beyond23 podcast. Modi revealed that the confrontation was captured by one of his security cameras after official broadcast cameras had stopped rolling. The video shows Harbhajan calling Sreesanth over during post-match handshakes and delivering a backhanded slap. A shocked Sreesanth immediately reacted, moving towards Harbhajan before being restrained by teammates Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene.

The altercation, which came after Punjab's emphatic 66-run win, was reportedly sparked by Sreesanth's words of "hard luck" to Harbhajan and his animated celebration during Shaun Pollock's dismissal. The fallout was swift-BCCI banned Harbhajan for the remainder of the season, while then Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh publicly condemned the act as "ugly and unacceptable. "

Though Harbhajan and Sreesanth have since reconciled, the former India off-spinner still views the incident as the darkest blot on his career. Speaking on R. Ashwin's podcast recently, Harbhajan admitted: "If I could erase one incident from my life, it would be that with Sreesanth. I have apologised countless times. What I did was wrong. "

Adding to his regret, Harbhajan recalled a painful encounter years later when Sreesanth's daughter refused to speak to him, saying, "You hit my father. " The comment, he confessed, left him shattered.

With the resurfacing of the long-buried clip, slapgate once again serves as a reminder of IPL's stormy beginnings-an incident that continues to haunt Harbhajan even after 18 years.