Darren Sammy posts cryptic Instagram story alleging Indian fans of racism in IPL

06/07/2020

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Former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, on Saturday, posted a set of Instagram stories alleging fans of racially abusing himself and Thisara Perera while playing for SRH in the IPL. An agitated Sammy stated that he was left upset and infuriated after learning the meaning of the term ‘kaalu’.

Known for his charisma on the field and his willingness to openly speak out about issues off the field, Darren Sammy left no stone unturned on Saturday, when the former Windies skipper posted a set of cryptic Instagram stories alleging fans of racially abusing him while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). A two-time World Cup-winning captain with the West Indies side, Sammy was bought by the SRH franchise ahead of the 2013 season, their first in the tournament, and represented them in two seasons, even captaining the side in the 2014 season.

However, in a series of stories posted on Instagram, Sammy alleged that racial slurs were hurled in regional languages by fans at both himself and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera. The 36-year-old revealed that he was used to fans referring to him and Perera by the term ‘kaalu’, but only recently realized that the word was in fact derogatory; a racial slur referring to the skin colour. Sammy’s stories can be seen below.

Sammy was also one of the first cricketers to publicly speak about the #BlackLivesMatter issue, and, earlier this month, tweeted, “@ICC and all the other boards are you guys not seeing what’s happening to ppl like me? Are you not gonna speak against the social injustice against my kind. This is not only about America. This happens everyday #BlackLivesMatter now is not the time to be silent. I wanna hear u.”

Chris Gayle, a former teammate of Sammy, had also expressed his anger over racial inequality through a long message on Instagram, earlier this week.