Indian broadcaster inclined to take down a mocking advertisement on the T20 World Cup 2026. In the advertisement, an Indian fan was mocking South Africa, delving into the rivalry and sportsmanship. However, the pre-match promo backfired; fans didn’t encourage the ad.
The ad, taking place in a cafe, visualised an Indian fan trolling SA support for their defeat in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. However, the fans noted that it is spoiling the spirit of the game.
The ad backfired on Sunday as India suffered a 76-run defeat against South Africa. The Proteas set a target of 187/7 in 20 overs. However, the Yadav and Co. bundled on 111.
The advertisement was deleted from Star Sports’ official X (formerly Twitter) account, though it remains unclear whether the removal happened before or after the Super 8 match.
The backlash also took an interesting turn when South African actor and influencer Thanja Vuur shared a humorous Instagram post poking fun at Star Sports’ “cupcake” theme. In the video, Vuur is seen eating a cupcake while displaying India’s scorecard on screen, captioned “So sweet.”
This was India’s first loss in 18 ICC matches across formats since their defeat in the 2023 World Cup final to Australia at the same venue.
The defeat also severely dented India’s net run rate (-3.800), leaving them needing wins against Zimbabwe (Feb 26, Chennai) and West Indies (March 1, Kolkata) to qualify for the semifinals. Meanwhile, South Africa will next face the West Indies on February 26.
