IPL broadcaster Star Sports on Monday firmly denied any wrongdoing after Indian captain Rohit Sharma accused the channel of “breaching” his privacy by recording and airing personal conversations. This controversy arose following a viral video shared by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 11, which showed Rohit Sharma and KKR assistant coach Abhishek Nayar in what appeared to be a private discussion about Rohit’s future with the Mumbai Indians.
The video was later removed from KKR’s social media platforms. On May 16, another incident occurred when Rohit was spotted talking with Dhawal Kulkarni ahead of Mumbai Indians’ match against Lucknow Super Giants. Noticing the cameras directed at him again, Rohit requested that the audio be turned off to maintain his privacy.
Rohit Sharma publicly expressed his frustration on Sunday, accusing Star Sports of airing private conversations. In response, Star Sports issued a statement refuting the allegations.
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“The clip in question, taken during a training session on May 16 at Wankhede Stadium, for which Star Sports had authorised access, briefly 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 that his conversation not be recorded, was featured in Star Sports’ live coverage of pre-match preparations and lacked editorial relevance beyond this,” the channel clarified.
Rohit Sharma emphasized the importance of respecting on-field privacy and warned against the relentless pursuit of exclusive content, suggesting it could damage the trust between fans and cricketers.
“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,” Rohit Sharma remarked.
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Star Sports reiterated its commitment to player privacy, stating, “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.”
This incident highlights the ongoing tension between the media’s desire for exclusive content and the athletes’ right to privacy, especially in an era of pervasive digital coverage.
