RR post sparks controversy as rain delay message turns into viral ‘number 18’ debate
Rajasthan Royals triggered an unexpected social media storm after a light-hearted post during a rain delay in Guwahati turned controversial in their clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
With rain interrupting play, RR posted on X: “Chalo we’re back with another game Pick a number between 1-99 and we’ll name a cricketer who dons that jersey.” The post was intended to engage fans while conditions improved.
However, one of the replies and RR’s response quickly drew attention when a user picked “18” and the RR admin replied with Smriti Mandhana. While Mandhana also wears a “18” jersey, many fans linked the exchange to “number 18”, which has long been associated with Virat Kohli, and expected his name instead.
Social media banter spills into match day tension
The exchange sparked strong reactions from RCB fans, who saw it as unnecessary, while others called it harmless banter that was blown out of proportion. The debate intensified online even as the match continued in Guwahati.
The timing of the post added to the noise, coming during a rain break in a high-profile game where Kohli had earlier scored 32 off 17 balls before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took control of the chase, RR win by 6 wickets.While RR’s intent was fan engagement during the delay, the reaction turned it into one of the talking points of the match day.