India-Pak T20 World Cup match: BCCI's VP calls out his fake AI clip, 'Statements are not mine'

A controversy erupted after a Pakistani television cricket programme aired an allegedly manipulated video of BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla commenting on the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash. Shukla later clarified that the clip had been altered using artificial intelligence and did not reflect his actual statements.

The video was broadcast during a cricket show hosted by former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik on ARY News. It was presented as Shukla's reaction to Pakistan's stance on playing India in Colombo, following developments linked to the T20 World Cup schedule. Soon after, Shukla publicly rejected the clip and warned viewers against believing or circulating such material.

'Misleading content'

In a post on X, he wrote, "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," distancing himself from the claims made in the broadcast.

The edited footage was seen as presenting a misleading narrative around the situation involving Pakistan, the ICC, and the tournament fixture. Earlier, Pakistan had announced it would boycott the match in support of Bangladesh but later reversed its decision after discussions with the international cricket body.

Morphed vs Real clip

In the morphed clip aired on the show, Shukla appeared to say, "I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representative on the repeated request by the BCCI to convince Pakistan to play against India. It is a good and amicable solution that has been found to give priority to cricket. This is what has been done," suggesting a version of events he later denied.

However, Shukla's actual remarks to reporters had a different context and tone. Speaking earlier in the week, he praised the ICC's efforts in resolving the issue and ensuring the match proceeds as planned.

He stated, "I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representative, supervised by the ICC chairman, and then the representatives who had gone to Lahore to talk to the Pakistan Cricket Board as well as the Bangladesh Cricket Board. It's a good solution, an amicable solution which has been found to give priority to the importance of cricket to the game," underlining the role of discussions in reaching a resolution.