For the second consecutive season, IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) faced the ire of Kannadigas upon the release of their team anthem. Fans were upset that the song contains only a smattering of Kannada while the majority of the lyrics is in Hindi.
The video is identical to the one used last year, save for a few scenes which feature new players.
The Bengaluru franchise had received similar criticism last year as well.
Many Twitter users expressed their disappointment with hashtags #StopHindiImposition and #ServeInMyLanguage. Another user, ‘@archie2992’, posted, “This is ridiculous, @RCBTweets. Other than for 2 lines in Kannada, this anthem is in Hindi and English primarily. There is something called regional pride, one that your management has heavily neglected and almost damaged over the years. This is not okay.”
Some fans defended the use of Hindi in the team song given that RCB is led by superstar cricketer Virat Kohli, who commands a following worldwide.
RCB’s approach to building a strong local fan base is in contrast to most other IPL sides, which compose anthems in their regional languages. RCB is owned by United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of British multinational Diageo.