CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress / ITDC News Bhopal: The Indian Premier League broadcaster Star Sports released a statement after Rohit Sharma made scathing allegations on the channel that he was “breaching” his privacy despite his request not to record a video. The broadcasters stated that they didn’t air the audio of any personal conversation involving the senior star.
A video went viral in which Rohit was seen asking the broadcasters not to record the audio of him having a chat with former Mumbai Indians star Dhawal Kulkarni. Meanwhile, after the clip went viral, Rohit posted a note on social media and accused the channel of airing a private conversation and breaching his privacy.
The channel denied the charge in a 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 authorised access, momentarily showed the senior player in conversation with his friends on the sidelines,” Start Sports stated.
The broadcasters asserted that the audio of the conversation was not recorded.
“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,” it added.
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Earlier, a video of the chat between Rohit and Abhishek Nayar was posted by KKR on their social media handle, which led to the Indian captain’s future with Mumbai Indians. Following the controversy, the video was taken down by KKR.
Meanwhile, Rohit criticized the host broadcasters, for failing to respect his privacy. He warned that airing private conversations could “break the trust” among the various stakeholders, making his stance clear on the matter.
However, the channel said it was committed to protecting players’ privacy.
“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.
