TNI Bureau: The BCCI faced criticism after advertisements for the tobacco product ‘Pan Bahar’ were spotted at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, during a practice session before the India-England match on February 9. This comes despite the Health Ministry’s August 2024 directive urging the BCCI to curb surrogate advertising of tobacco and alcohol.
‘X’ (Formerly Twitter) user @manas_muduli slammed the world’s richest cricket body for prioritizing profits over public health. With cricketers being influential role models, the incident has reignited concerns over unethical endorsements, prompting renewed calls for stricter regulations in sports advertising.
BCCI is the richest cricket body in the world.
In FY 2023-24, BCCI earned ₹18,700 crore (US$2.2 billion).
But, they will advertise cancer causing Gutkha in cricket stadiums to earn more money.
Pics from Barabati Stadium, Cuttack during practice session yesterday. 👇 pic.twitter.com/Ihet3RXRox
— Manas Muduli (@manas_muduli) February 9, 2025
