[WATCH] IPL 2025: Harbhajan Singh’s racist ‘black taxi’ remark on Jofra Archer ignites controversy

During Sunday’s IPL 2025 match between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), former Indian cricket player and IPL pundit Harbhajan Singh made a contentious racial remark. Singh’s comparison of England pacer Jofra Archer to London’s “black taxi,” made during his commentary, sparked outrage and charges of racism.

The incident happened when Archer was bowling to Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan of the SRH in the eighteenth over of the first innings. When Harbhajan made the comparison, the South African batter had just hit back-to-back boundaries against the England pacer.

Harbhajan stated on radio, “London me kaali taxi ka meter tez bhaagta hai, Aur yaha pe Archer sahab ka meter bhi tez bhaaga hai” (As with the black cab meters in London, Archer’s meters have also been on the upper side).

Watch the video below: 

Racism at Peak
Harbhajan Singh Calling Archer Kali Taxi pic.twitter.com/ijdEqFgNbX

— B‎ I‎ S‎ W‎ A‎ J‎ E‎ E‎ T‎ (@Biswajeet_2277) March 23, 2025

Jofra Archer records the most costly IPL spell ever.

The humorous remark swiftly gained popularity on social media, with many followers accusing it of being racially offensive. Singh, who has been accused of racism in the past while playing, is currently embroiled in a new issue after making an inappropriate comment.

Many demanded that Harbhajan be kicked off the IPL 2025 commentary panel and that the seasoned spinner issue an official apology. Others drew attention to Singh’s remark’s irony, pointing out that he has previously been accused of racial wrongdoing, including the 2008 “Monkeygate” affair involving the late Andrew Symonds.

The former spinner has yet to make an official statement or apologise for his remark in spite of the criticism. Broadcasting officials and the IPL regulating body have also been criticised for their slow response to the problem. Notably, Archer’s performance in the match was unsatisfactory as he went past Mohit Sharma’s 0/73 spell and gave up 76 runs without taking a wicket, setting an unwelcome record for the most expensive bowling stats in IPL history.

With a score of 286/6, SRH created history and came within two runs of surpassing their own record for the greatest IPL total. Hyderabad defeated the Rajasthan Royals by 44 runs thanks in large part to Ishan Kishan, who smashed a century off just 45 balls.