Overview

• The previously unseen security‑camera clip, shown on Clarke’s Beyond23 podcast on August 29, quickly spread online after years of speculation about the incident.
• The video shows Harbhajan Singh delivering a backhand slap to S Sreesanth during post‑match handshakes, with Irfan Pathan and Mahela Jayawardene intervening as tensions rose.
• Harbhajan was punished in 2008 with suspension for the rest of the IPL season, an 11‑match ban and forfeiture of match fees, and he later served a limited‑overs ban from the BCCI.
• Sreesanth’s wife condemned Modi and Clarke for reviving the clip, calling the move heartless and saying it forces their family to relive old trauma.
• Commentator Harsha Bhogle said the footage was withheld at the time to protect the nascent league’s image, as Harbhajan and Sreesanth have since reconciled and the spinner has repeatedly apologised.