IPL 2023 | 'Offensive Placard' on a Cheerleader Sparks Debate
An attendee with an offensive placard during LSG vs GT (Twitter)
The 2023 season of the Indian Premier League is in full flow, and the action is only heating up as each of the ten franchises travel across the length and breadth of the country in a bid to give themselves the best possible chance to make it to the playoffs.
The flavour of the IPL has truly returned this year, with the tournament reverting to its traditional home and away format. And just like the home-away format has made its comeback after a four-year hiatus, so are the cheerleaders.
However, it has also led to some unsavoury comments from the cricket fans.
One such incident happened during last week's match between defending champions Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow SuperGiants at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, where one of the fans came up with a bold-if not offensive placard, which read:
"Match nahi, Russian dekhne aaya hoon (I came here to watch Russian [cheerleaders], not the match)."
Check the tweet here:
The poster received mixed responses, but a section of social media users also proceeded to lambast the fan for coming up with such an offensive statement.
Meanwhile, the relationship of IPL cheerleaders and controversy goes hand in hand.
Over a decade ago, one of the foreign cheerleaders described the girls in the profession as a 'walking porn', besides also bringing into light about some of things that they used to get subjected to by cricketers during the late night parties.
"To the citizens, we are practically like walking porn! All eyes are on you all the time; it is complete voyeurism. The women double take, see you and then pretend you do not exist. The men see your face, then your b***s, your bu**, and then your b***s again! As we walk, all you hear is "IPL, IPL!" with a little head jingle!
 "Yash Mittal")
