Cricketer Darren Sammy alleges he faced racism in IPL

Former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy alleged that he was racially abused while playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He also added Sri Lankan cricketer Thisara Perera’s name on the receiving end of the racial slurs.

The cricketer put up two Instagram posts regarding the matter. 

In the first post he said, “Oh so that’s what that meant when they called me and @tp_perera kalu in India when we played for Sunrisers. I just thought they were calling me a strong black man… I’m more piss (sic) now,” and added, “I just learnt what that ‘kalu’ meant when I played for Sunrisers in the IPL. They call me and Perera by that name. I thought it meant strong Stallion. My previous post tells me something different and I’m angry,” to the second post.

Darren has already taken the issue to the International Cricket Council (ICC), urging them to take notice of such instances. ICC is the international cricket governing body.

“@ICC and all the other boards are you guys not seeing what’s happening to ppl like me? Are you not gonna speak against the social injustice against my kind. This is not only about America. This happens everyday #BlackLivesMatter now is not the time to be silent. I wanna hear u,” he tweeted.

This tweet was followed by another tweet where raised awareness about #Blacklivesmatter. 46-year-old African American George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis police which has sparked worldwide #Blacklivesmatter protests.

The only captain to win two T20 world cups (2012, 2016), Sammy has been a major part in the return of top flight cricket in Pakistan. Pakistan has extended an honorary citizenship to the player for his efforts.

ICC has always maintained zero tolerance towards racism and homophobia. Offenders stand the risk of receiving life bans if found guilty of breaching these protocols.