Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, has sparked anger among fans due to a new segment in which female presenters were seen judging male cricketers based on their looks.
The segment featured popular host Mayanti Langer and three other female anchors – Jaiti Khera, Nashpreet Kaur and Ayushi Shekhawat – who were shown photos of cricket stars and asked to determine if they were “Hot or Not” by swiping left or right in a simulated Tinder-like setup.
The controversial segment, which aired during the IPL 2023 coverage, included photos of prominent IPL cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Andre Russell.
During the show, Mayanti can be heard expressing her disapproval, remarking, “this is so not age appropriate,” when asked to rate Gill, who is just 23 years old.
In another part of the segment, West Indies all-rounder Dre Russ appeared on the screen, and Nashpreet commented, “I like the muscles, swipe right.”
Twitter users captured the videos and shared the clips on social media, expressing their outrage at the concept of the game. One user criticized Star Sports India, stating: “Is this a cricket-related show or what… Star Sports, you are a disgrace.”
I'm told some cricket telecast revolved around female anchors rating players on whether they're "hot" or "not".
I sincerely hope that's not true. Else, it's the pits.
Trying to be "cool" has its limits.
— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) May 18, 2023
https://twitter.com/IamNEGA62524296/status/1659190831583215616
Here… pic.twitter.com/LzvPUi2RFR
— Kush Katakia (@kushkatakia) May 18, 2023
Star with their 'Hot or Not' segment in today's pre-match show clearly embarrassed themselves.
Imagine asking a senior anchor and married woman like Mayanti Langer to pick sides for a junior fellow like Shubman Gill. She was clearly uncomfortable. #NotDone#IPL2023
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) May 18, 2023
What is this @Sanjog_G
Just reverse the situation with male anchors rating female cricket players and we will have a sexual harassment and objectification allegation ready.
Star Sports is in a deep mess https://t.co/XHcSWBEpd1
— Monica Verma (@TrulyMonica) May 18, 2023
Have deleted the first tweet due to copyright issues. But posting the screenshot of what I had posted. https://t.co/MYAN5rxuHP pic.twitter.com/76myqwT4ji
— Gurkirat Singh Gill (@gurkiratsgill) May 18, 2023
