BCCI's Rajeev Shukla clarifies ‘manipulated’ audio on Shoaib Malik-hosted Pakistan TV show; 'statements are not mine'

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla has issued a clarification on a “manipulated audio” that went viral on social media. The video, which is from a talk show on Pakistani TV channel ARY News, used artificial intelligence (AI) to alter Shukla's words, in an attempt to shape a BCCI narrative around the T20 World Cup 2026.

Hosted by former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, the talk show centred around the high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash in the T20 World Cup. In the video, the show hosts tried to establish that it was BCCI who requested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to withdraw the boycott of the India clash.

“I would like to show you a clip of BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla," Malik was heard as saying to his guests on the show before playing the purported video. “I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representative on the repeated requests by BCCI to convince Pakistan to play against India," the manipulated voice in the video said.

"It’s a good solution, amicable solution which has been found to give priority to cricket, important to the game. This is what has been done," it added. Clearly, the tone of the voice in the clip noticeable diverge from Shukla's actual style of speaking.

Reacting to the video, Shukla took to X and issued a clarification. “A video of my remarks on the India Pakistan World Cup match has been manipulated using AI to alter the audio. These statements are not mine. I urge everyone not to believe or circulate this misleading content and to report it wherever such videos are seen,” he wrote on X.

What did Rajeev Shukla actually say?

Speaking to the reporters after the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan government announced that the India vs Pakistan match on February 15 will go as scheduled, Shukla thanked ICC chairman Jay Shah and its office-bearers on behalf of the BCCI.

“This decision is very important for cricket. Cricket must go on and the World Cup will now be a big success. This is a big achievement as far as the ICC is concerned. Even the Bangladesh Cricket Board has praised the ICC, so it has listened to all sides and arrived at the decision after taking into consideration the interests of everyone," he told reporters.

What happened during the whole episode?

After Bangladesh's demands of playing at a neutral venue was rejected by the ICC, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi accused ICC of double standards. Thereafter, the Pakistan government instructed the national team to play in the T20 World Cup 2026 but not play in the India game.

Risking a huge loss, the ICC sent a two-member delegation to Lahore to have a meeting with the PCB officials. Additionally, emails requests from the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Sri Lanka Cricket and Emirates Cricket Board forced the PCB to change its stance on the boycott.

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