The women in the panel of anchors were made to choose cricketers based on their preferences
In a pre-match telecast ahead of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) game on Star Sports, the anchors were spotted playing a strange game. The women in the panel of anchors were made to choose cricketers based on their preferences, much like the popular dating apps where people have to swipe left/right.
While the producers intended it to be a fun element, the idea recieved a lot of flak from netizens. People on social media labelled it as in bad taste and an unnecessary addition on a show which is holistically dedicated to sports.
Popular Bollywood actor Vidyut Jamwal was also present for this segment, which was named ‘Hot or Not’. The female hosts and presenters for IPL 2023 for Star Sports are – Mayanti Langer, Neroli Meadows, Nashpreet Kaur, Tanya Purohit, and Bhavna Balakrishnan.
The fans on social media were not happy with it and did not mince their words to voice their opinion. You can check some of the posts below.
I have never had any expectations from Star, but this is a new low. They are getting their women anchors to play swipe right/left with cricketers here. How’s this anyway related to sport or the skills of cricketers? And how is this not objectification? pic.twitter.com/BIRuvYP71s
— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) May 18, 2023
@poserarcher Tinder ipl in starsports 😵💫🤡
— Chintu 06 (@Chituzkratos) May 18, 2023
Another advantage of IPL, now take a walk Tinder
— 1line wonder (@quiverloaded) May 18, 2023
Recently, veteran India cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag also recieved heavy criticism after being spotted promoting a paan masala item that goes by the name ‘Kamla Pasand’. The ad featuring the duo has been aired on both TV and Jio Cinema amidst the Indian Premier League (IPL) carnival.
In the commercial, Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag are seen advocating for their respective generations. On one hand, Gavaskar tries to praise the people of his generation by labelling them superior to the current ones, and in counter Sehwag comes up with his own arguments to defend the younger generation.
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This is probably the first-ever time Indian cricketers are endorsing a brand that can create serious health complications. No wonder both Gavaskar and Sehwag are receiving a lot of flak across social media platforms.
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