"Didn't broadcast private conversation": Broadcaster on Rohit Sharma's allegations on privacy breach

Broadcaster denies privacy breach

IPL broadcaster Star Sports denied airing audio from any personal conversation involving Rohit Sharma after the Indian captain accused them of breaching his privacy despite his requests to stop recording.

Rohit was seen asking the broadcasters to shut down the audio while chatting with Kolkata Knight Riders' Abhishek Nayar after an IPL match. On Sunday, he accused the channel of airing the private conversation. The channel issued a statement denying the accusation.

"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," the channel stated.

The audio of the chat was posted by KKR on their social media handle leading to speculation about Rohit's future with Mumbai Indians. Following the controversy, the video was taken down by KKR. "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 said on Sunday.

The channel said it was committed to protecting players' privacy. "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," it stated.

Recently, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma accused the broadcaster of airing his private conversation and expressed his frustration on X. “The lives of cricketers have become so intrusive that cameras are now recording every step and conversation we are having in privacy with our friends and colleagues, at training or on match days,” he wrote. “Despite asking ***** [channel name omitted] to not record my conversation, it was and was also then played on air, which is a breach of privacy. 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.”

(With PTI Inputs)