Former Indian Cricketer Harbhajan Singh sparked a racism controversy on Sunday after making a contentious remark about England fast bowler Jofra Archer during an IPL 2025 match. The comment, made live on air during the Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) match, spawned instant outrage among fans on social media.
The Controversial Comment
The incident was reported during the 18th over of the first innings while Archer was bowling to SRH batsmen Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. As Klaasen slapped two successive boundaries from Archer’s balls, Harbhajan Singh compared Archer’s economy rate to the black cabs of London.
“London me kaali taxi ka meter tez bhaagta hai, Aur yaha pe Archer sahab ka meter bhi tez bhaaga hai (Like the meter of London’s black taxis, Archer’s meter has also been on the higher side),” Harbhajan Singh opined live on air.
His remark incited outrage among cricket enthusiasts, with many demanding his suspension from the IPL 2025 commentary team immediately. Social media went into an uproar, with users decrying the remark as racially insensitive and unsuitable for live telecasting.
𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗵𝗮𝗷𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘇𝗲:
He called Jofra Archer a “black London taxi” during live commentary During IPL.
Shame Shame Shame#HarbhajanSingh #JofraArcher #IPL2025 #RRvsSRH #CSKvsMI pic.twitter.com/zNPlVeBfgN— Pakistan Cricket Team USA FC (@DoctorofCricket) March 23, 2025
Harbhajan Singh has called Jofra Archer a black taxi driver with a high meter value just now in the Hindi commentary. This is vile and disgusting. Please ban him.
— ` (@FourOverthrows) March 23, 2025
Racism at Peak 😂😂😂😂
Harbhajan Singh Calling Archer Kali Taxi pic.twitter.com/ijdEqFgNbX— B I S W A J E E T (@Biswajeet_2277) March 23, 2025
Archer Records Most Costly Bowling Figures in IPL History
Jofra Archer had a forgettable spell at Hyderabad, conceding 76 runs without even getting a wicket. His 0/76 figures are now the costliest in IPL history, replacing Mohit Sharma’s record of 0/73 for Gujarat Titans against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024.
Despite Archer’s efforts, Sunrisers Hyderabad dominated with the bat. They posted their fourth 250-plus total in T20 cricket, the highest of such teams, ahead of India and Surrey. They fell two runs short of shattering their own IPL record for the highest team score. SRH ended at 286/6, two runs behind their 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024.
Ishan Kishan’s Sizzling Century Leads SRH to the Win
Ishan Kishan was a key player in the victory of SRH, hitting his first IPL century in 45 balls. His innings ensured SRH the win by 44 runs and a good start to their IPL 2025 campaign.
Despite rising pressure on Harbhajan Singh, the authorities must decide whether to take action against the controversy.
