Cricket Scandal Re-Emerged: Sreesanth's Wife Blasts Modi, Clarke for Releasing 'Slap-gate' Video

Bhuvneshwari Sreesanth, wife of former India pacer Sreesanth, has strongly criticised former IPL chairman Lalit Modi and ex-Australia captain Michael Clarke for reviving the infamous “slap-gate” scandal involving Harbhajan Singh.

The controversy resurfaced when Modi appeared on Clarke’s Beyond23 podcast and revealed that he had kept unseen footage of the 2008 altercation. The clip, reportedly taken from stadium security cameras, was played during the show. It showed Harbhajan striking Sreesanth with the back of his hand following an IPL clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).

Immediately after the incident, Sreesanth broke down in tears on the field, a moment captured by broadcast cameras. Teammates and opposition players, including former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and ex-India pacer Irfan Pathan, rushed to calm him down. The controversy shook the first season of the IPL and was later labelled “slap-gate” in cricketing circles.

Dragging Old Wounds for Cheap Publicity

Reacting to the resurfacing of the clip, Bhuvneshwari took to Instagram to issue a sharp statement. She accused both Modi and Clarke of chasing attention by reopening a painful episode that both players had moved on from.

“Shame on you, Lalit Modi and Michael Clarke. You people are not even human to drag up something from 2008 just for your own cheap publicity and views. Both @sreesanthnair36 and Harbhajan have long moved on; they are fathers now with school-going children, and yet you try to throw them back into an old wound. Absolutely disgusting, heartless, and inhuman,” she wrote.

Over the years, Harbhajan himself admitted the incident was one of his biggest regrets, while Sreesanth has repeatedly said he put the episode behind him. Both men, during their careers, have India together, sharing dressing rooms. The two were in the playing 11 when India went on to win the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa back in 2007.

Despite that, the podcast has circulated the footage widely across social media, sparking fresh debate.