MUMBAI: Apart from some exciting cricket, the opening game of
IPL 2020
between the
Mumbai Indians and
Chennai Super Kings on Saturday was marked by another significant thing.
Several players from both the teams were seen sporting a post-lockdown waist, which attracted their fat-shaming from many people on social media.
The extra girth on the players' waistlines prompted former India hockey captain
Viren Rasquinha
to tweet: "I have never played more than gully cricket but I am pretty shocked to see some players in the #IPL2020 looking so unfit. I can't think of another physical sport where players at the highest level could cope with these fitness levels."
TV commentator
Harsha Bhogle
tweeted: "Couple of healthy waistlines today....."
The twitterati users even coined a term 'Indian Paunch League' to take a sarcastic look at this situation.
"Alright skinny mini.....careful of that chocolate mousse Winking face with tongue," tweeted former Australian women's cricketer Lisa Sthalekar.
The main target on social media for looking like having put on too much weight were MI captain
Rohit Sharma and his teammate
Saurabh Tiwary.
Clearly, the lack of opportunity to hit the gyms, run in the grounds and train in the nets due to the ongoing lockdown caused by Covid-19 in India seems to have hurt some Indian players' fitness levels massively. This was, after all, the first competitive game of cricket for them in six months.