Star Sports Denies Airing Rohit Sharma’s Private Conversation Amidst Privacy Breach Allegations

IPL TV broadcaster Star Sports on Monday refuted claims made by Indian team captain Rohit Sharma regarding a breach of privacy. The controversy erupted when Rohit accused the channel of airing a private conversation during an IPL match.

Rohit, via an X post, alleged that despite his requests to stop recording, the channel breached his privacy by recording and broadcasting the conversation. However, Star Sports released a statement denying the accusations, asserting that during a training session at Wankhede Stadium on May 16, where they had authorised access, they momentarily captured Rohit in conversation with friends. They clarified that no audio from this exchange was recorded or aired.

The clip in question, featuring Rohit requesting the cessation of audio recording, was included in Star Sports’ live coverage of pre-match preparations, deemed editorially irrelevant beyond that context.

The controversy escalated further when KKR posted the audio of the chat on their social media handles, leading to speculation about Sharma’s future with the Mumbai Indians (MI). However, KKR quickly removed the video following the backlash.

Expressing his disappointment, Sharma took to social media, stating, “The need to get exclusive content and focused only on views and engagement will one day break the trust between the fans, cricketers and cricket. Let better sense prevail.”

Star Sports reiterated its commitment to protecting players’ privacy and maintaining a respectful environment. “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,” the statement concluded.