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.