T20 World Cup Broadcaster's 'Cupcake Ad' Comes Back To Haunt India

The host broadcasters of the T20 World Cup 2026 took down a controversial advertisement in which an Indian fan mocked South Africa. Meant to highlight the rivalry and build excitement, Star Sports had released a pre-match promo for the India vs South Africa clash. The video, set in a cafe, showed an Indian fan trolling a Proteas supporter over a cupcake and reminding him of the 2024 T20 World Cup final loss. The ad did not sit well with viewers, who criticised the broadcaster for spoiling the spirit of the game.

On Sunday, the ad backfired for the Indian fans after Suryakumar Yadav and Co. suffered a 76-run defeat against South Africa. Playing in Ahmedabad, the Proteas posted 187/7 in 20 overs, with David Miller smashing a blistering 63 off just 35 balls. In response, India collapsed to 111 all out. Shivam Dube's 42 was the only significant contribution.

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 showing the scorecard of India's defeat on screen, captioned "So sweet."

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A post shared by Thanja Vuur (@cape_town_cricket_queen)

This was India's first loss in 18 ICC matches across formats since the 2023 World Cup final defeat 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 West Indies on February 26.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Suryakumar Yadav Aiden Markram T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket