In a recent controversy, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 broadcaster Star Sports responded to former Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma after he made allegations on social media regarding a breach of privacy.
Sequence of events
The controversy began when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) shared a video featuring Rohit and KKR’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. The video included audio of their light-hearted chat, which was later deleted. Following this, during a live training session on Star Sports, Rohit was seen asking the cameras not to record any audio of his conversations with friends on the sidelines. This prompted him to accuse Star Sports of breaching his privacy and airing a private conversation in a tweet on the social media platform X.
Also READ: IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma lashes out at Star Sports for recording his private conversation and playing it on air
Star Sports’ response to Rohit Sharma
A day after Rohit’s accusation, Star Sports issued an official response denying the allegations. The broadcaster stated that no audio from Rohit’s conversation was recorded or broadcast. According to Star Sports, the clip in question was taken during a training session on May 16 at Wankhede Stadium, for which they had authorized access. The clip showed Rohit in conversation with his friends on the sidelines, but the audio was not recorded. In their official response, Star Sports emphasized their commitment to respecting the privacy of players.
“A clip involving a senior Indian player and his post on social media have gained prominence since yesterday. The clip, taken during a training session on May 16 at Wankhede Stadium, for which Star Sports had authorized access, momentarily showed the senior player in conversation with his friends on the sidelines. No audio from this conversation was either recorded or broadcast. The clip, which only showed the senior player requesting for the audio of his conversation to not be recorded, got featured in Star Sports’ live coverage of pre-match preparations and lacked editorial relevance beyond this,” Star Sports was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
Star Sports further reiterated their adherence to the highest standards of professional conduct while broadcasting cricket worldwide, maintaining that respect for players’ privacy is central to their ethos.
“Star Sports has always adhered to the highest standards of professional conduct while broadcasting cricket all over the world. Respect for players’ privacy while bringing fans, moments of intense action and preparations, sits at the core of this ethos, which the broadcaster remains committed to,” Star Sports concluded.
Rohit’s mixed IPL 2024 performance with Mumbai Indians
Rohit had a mixed season in IPL 2024 with the MI. The former skipper scored 417 runs at an average of 32.07 and a strike rate of 150. Despite his efforts, which included a century and a fifty with a best score of 105 not out, the MI struggled throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, his individual brilliance in certain matches were not enough to lift the team. The five-time champions finished at the bottom of the points table, managing only four wins out of their 14 matches. The team’s overall performance was disappointing, and they failed to make an impact in this season.