Deactivate, Delete, Blocked! - RCB Irks Kannada Fans After Launching Hindi Social Media Page

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has triggered some sections of the Kannada fan base after launching social media pages in Hindi at a time when there has been a divide among the citizens in the city with regards to language.

Bengaluru has witnessed rising tensions surrounding language and identity in the recent weeks, with a clash between Kannada and Hindi speakers, as well as local residents and migrants.

The situation has become increasingly volatile, spilling from online discourse into physical confrontations in the city. And now, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise is also facing flak for adding more fuel to the rage.

RCB recently launched their social media pages in Kannada, and during the auction, the Bengaluru-based franchise, also launched their social media page in Hindi, triggering a mixed response from fans.

Fans have argued that RCB's launch of a hindi page would undermine Bengaluru's Kannada culture. However, according to a report in Times Now, RCB have defended the move stating, the "motive (is) to reach out to a larger audience" and that the "plan (is) to start pages in multiple languages".

Some fans, especially the Kannadigas argued if there was even a need for opening separate pages, while some demanded for the page to be deactivated or deleted, urging the others to block or report the page for spam.

RCB finally made a good connect with the fans last year, when they renamed the team to Bengaluru from Bangalore. But the franchise may have burnt some bridges with their latest activity despite launching a page in Kannada before doing the same in Hindi.

One user on X asked if it will end with Hindi or will there even be an urdu page. The user also questioned if Delhi Capitals will launch a page in Kannada or will any other team do the same.

Another user on X warned the franchise will face more tough time from Kannada fans, questioning what was the need to launch a RCB page in Hindi.

"As a proud Kannadiga and Bengaluru-based RCB fan, it's disheartening to see our franchise using Hindi in their social media posts. Bengaluru represents Kannada culture and language, and RCB should respect this by prioritizing Kan-Eng in their communication," another fan posted using the hash tag Stop Hindi Imposition.

Meanwhile, the other section of the fan base asked what has language got to do as some even told RCB is part of the Indian Premier League, and is not inclusive only to Bengaluru or Kannadigas.