Star Sports released a statement following allegations by Rohit Sharma that the broadcaster breached his privacy by recording a video despite his request not to do so. The broadcaster asserted that they did not air any audio of personal conversations involving Rohit.
The controversy began when a video went viral showing Rohit asking the broadcasters not to record audio while he was chatting with former Mumbai Indians star Dhawal Kulkarni.
Star Sports denied these allegations in their statement: “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.”
The broadcaster emphasized that no audio from the conversation was recorded or broadcast. “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, was featured in Star Sports’ live coverage of pre-match preparations and lacked editorial relevance beyond this,” they added.
Earlier, another video featuring Rohit and Abhishek Nayar chatting went viral after being posted on KKR’s social media handle, sparking speculation about Rohit’s future with the Mumbai Indians. However, the franchise later deleted the video.
On Sunday, Rohit criticised Star Sports on X, for potentially breaking the trust among stakeholders by not respecting his privacy. He warned that airing private conversations could damage trust.
Star Sports concluded their statement by reaffirming their commitment to respecting players’ privacy and adhering to high professional standards: “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.”