How to prevent harassment of cheerleaders during IPL matches? Remove the unruly spectators from the stadium, one might suggest or have more security in place! Lucknow Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium took one step further. They instead put the cheerleaders in a special enclosure during the LSG vs GT match in IPL 2025.
The dias on which the cheerleaders perform had a special enclosure of net around it. As per a report in The New Indian Express, the cheerleaders also got special security to prevent harassment. A lady constable was deployed for each stand for cheerleaders.
“There were a few minor incidents in the past which might have led the authorities to place the rectangular enclosure in place for the safety of the cheerleaders,” a Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association told TNIE.
Not a good sight
While such a step is welcome to prevent harassment of female performers at stadiums, the enclosure did not paint a good picture. Although crimes against women in Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh have dropped drastically over the last six years, there are still cases of sexual harassment at stadiums.
UPCA took the measure in the LSG vs GT match after an unruly incident last edition. A section of the fans threw bottles and other things at the cheerleaders. Around 3000 police personnel are deployed for each IPL 2025 match at the Ekana Stadium, where Lucknow Super Giants play their home matches.
However, not everyone is happy with the decision to have a protected enclosure for the cheerleaders, as it is not good optics for the state association and nor for the state. Some UPCA officials believe security could have been enhanced to ensure the safety of the cheerleaders.
Harassment of visiting fans
However, harassment of cheerleaders is not the only problem in Indian stadiums. During the Cricket World Cup, many visiting fans were harassed. One of the fans’ stuffed toy tiger was torn apart by the Indian fans.
In Kanpur, during the India vs Bangladesh Test series, a Bangladesh fan, Tiger Shoaib, was allegedly harassed by an unruly crowd. In other stadiums, fans have clashed with each other, including Delhi, Kolkata and other venues.
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