On Monday, IPL broadcaster Star Sports refuted claims of airing any personal conversation involving Rohit Sharma, following allegations from the Indian captain accusing the channel of violating his privacy despite his repeated requests to cease recording. The controversy began on May 11 when a video shared by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) showed Rohit discussing his future with Mumbai Indians in a conversation with KKR assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
This video quickly went viral but was later removed by KKR from their social media platforms. Subsequently, on May 16, before a match between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants, Rohit was seen talking to Dhawal Kulkarni. Noticing the cameras on him, Rohit asked the broadcaster to turn off the audio.
The statement read: “The clip, taken during a training session on May 16 at Wankhede stadium, for which Star Sports had authorised 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.”
Despite his request, he accused the channel on Sunday of broadcasting a private conversation. However, Star Sports issued a statement denying this accusation, affirming their commitment to safeguarding the players’ privacy. Rohit had earlier called for discretion in recording on-field interactions, emphasizing the need for respecting personal boundaries during such moments.
Rohit Sharma added: “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.”
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