'Gentleman's Game Or Not?': Cricket War Between Male And Female Indian Cricket Fans Explained

The men used an old yet viral campaign run by sports brand Puma India to troll Indian women’s cricket after Harmanpreet Kaur’s team were knocked out of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 by dominant Australia on Sunday. Chasing India’s 171 after a brilliant onslaught by skipper Kaur, Australia rode on Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner’s quality half-centuries, helping the Women in Yellow chase down the target in just 19 overs, sealing a six-wicket victory over India.

This loss shattered India’s campaign for the coveted trophy, and the disappointment soon triggered a gender clash on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) where a section of cricket fans, presumedly men, used the loss to attack the Indian women team with sexist taunts by bringing

back Puma’s old campaign aimed at inclusivity push.

Cricket For All

The campaign had pushed the message that cricket wasn’t a gentleman’s game but everyone’s game. During the launch, Indian captain and Puma ambassador Kaur shared her views on the brand’s move to make cricket inclusive in the country that passionately loved the sport.

“There’s no denying that cricket has historically been a male-dominated sport, but we women are fiercely changing that perception. We’ve been on a mission to shift the narrative since PUMA’s groundbreaking CRICKET IS EVERYONE’S GAME campaign, and this fresh take hits home as it reminds everyone of what truly matters in cricket. Whether you’re batting, bowling, ‘keeping, or fielding, it’s all about balls. We’re here to change the conversation and show that true glory is earned ball-by-ball,” Kaur said.

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The campaign had famously featured Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana. Later that year, Puma gave a spin to its iconic property and introduced ‘YOU NEED BALLS’.

India Women Targeted

Kaur had famously donned the crossed-out ‘Gentleman’s Game’ jersey and posed with the iconic 2025 ODI World Cup trophy after India’s epic triumph. The same photo was brought back to target and troll the India Women team after they met a crushing end in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Cricket was, Cricket is, Cricket will forever be a Gentleman's game.
Hopefully you've learnt your lesson today. pic.twitter.com/ucosAOcCK3

— ????????????????????¹⁸ (@varunx18) June 28, 2026

Remeber that Ad from Female Cricket Team after they Won T20 World Cup- how they were mocking Males Fans…

Now they got eliminated from Same World Cup !! pic.twitter.com/DaM8jjz1yQ

— Nidhi (@nidhi_13000) June 29, 2026

Cricket Fans Fight Back

Dismissing the online vitriol and hate campaign run against the Women in Blue, a section of fans reminded that Kohli too was part of the campaign aimed at broadening the sport and making it more accessible.

Cricket is EVERYONE'S game!!! https://t.co/uqS7jQCjDG pic.twitter.com/SnZCQJB8wr

— Shailesh (@shailesh18_) June 29, 2026

Then, the India Men’s team was brought into the mix, reminding the existing hate party about men’s brutal 0-2 loss to Ireland in a recent two-match T20I series despite their stronghold and ruthless dominance in the T20 circuit.

Yessss gentlemen go lose a series against the mighty Ireland 😍😍😍😍 https://t.co/XxOxeGCxvU

— criston cole hater (@safespace1809) June 29, 2026

Why Is Cricket Called The Gentleman’s Game?

Cricket earned its nickname from the sport’s aristocratic English roots, where honour, fair play, and respect for the umpire’s word were considered just as important as winning. Over the years, that very spirit has been tested again and again. Fans and pundits have repeatedly called out cricketers for actions that, while perfectly legal in the law books, felt sneaky and unspirited to be branded “ungentlemanly.”

MCC’s Big Change

In 2021, Marylebone Cricket Club intervened to update the cricket syntax by replacing ‘batsman’ with the gender-neutral term ‘batter’. The update in the Laws of Cricket was welcomed by the then ICC CEO Geoff Allardice. “This is a natural and perhaps overdue evolution of our sport, and now our batters are gender-neutral in the same way as bowlers, fielders and wicket keepers,” Allardice said in a statement.

He added that the small yet impactful change would have a significant impact on cricket as it would be viewed as a more inclusive sport.

“Of course language changes alone will not grow the sport, we must ensure that girls and boys who are inspired to play cricket have a fantastic, fun first experience and are both able to progress as cricketers without barriers.”