Official T20 World Cup broadcaster Star Sports has quietly deleted a controversial promotional video following India's humiliating 76-run defeat to South Africa in Sunday's Super Eight clash in Ahmedabad.
The promo, which aired days before the match, depicted an Indian and a South African fan reaching for the last cupcake in a cafe.
In the video, the Indian fan aggressively mocked South Africa's reputation as "chokers" and taunted them over their loss in the 2024 World Cup final.
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The advertisement drew immediate ire, not just for its overt arrogance, but because "Cupcake" is also the popular nickname of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The broadcaster's pre-match hubris backfired spectacularly on the pitch.
Chasing a target of 187, Suryakumar Yadav’s team delivered a dismal batting performance, collapsing to 111 all out. Shivam Dube, who scored 42, was the only Indian batter to cross the 20-run mark during the massive collapse.
As the hashtag #CupcakeGate trended across social media, Star Sports pulled the video from its X account. The deletion, however, failed to stop the mockery from fans.
South African influencers quickly capitalized on the moment, with one viral post showing an actor happily eating a cupcake next to the final match scorecard with the caption, "So sweet!"