KKR's Raghuvanshi apologises after controversial tweet attacking Nehwal

Kolkata Knight Riders batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi has apologised on Twitter after landing in hot water for a controversial post in which he seemingly attacked Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal over her comments regarding cricket getting favouritism over other sports in India.

In a video that went viral on Twitter, Nehwal spoke about the rise of popularity of individual sporting stars in the country, such as herself, and how they’ve had to work relentlessly in order to gain success and grab the attention of people in the country. 

Towards the end of the same video, the former world number one spoke about the sporting culture in the country, where other sports get stepmotherly treatment compared to cricket. She added that, among all sports, cricket is the least physically taxing, with the sport being more about skills than fitness. 

Responding to the video in question, Raghuvanshi tweeted: “let’s see how she bowls when bumrah bowls 150k’s bumpers at her head.”

But after coming under fire for his seemingly disrespectful comments, the 19-year-old has taken to Twitter to issue an apology. 

“I’m sorry everyone, I meant my remarks as a joke, looking back I think it was a really immature joke. I realize my mistake and I sincerely apologize,” wrote Raghuvanshi.

The 19-year-old, who made his IPL debut earlier this year, had a breakthrough IPL 2024 for champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), amassing 163 runs at an average of 23.29 and strike rate of 155.24. 

In the season, he became the youngest player to score a fifty in their maiden IPL innings. Raghuvanshi achieved the feat against Delhi Capitals when he was 18 years and 303 days old.

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.