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Iceland Cricket's viral 'Scammers XI' dig targets pricey IPL stars, Rishabh Pant named captain

Iceland Cricket's viral 'Scammers XI' dig targets pricey IPL stars, Rishabh Pant named captain

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World, India News, Sports: Iceland Cricket took a sharp swipe at IPL 2025 flops, assembling a team of misfiring players. They named Rishabh Pant as the team's captain

Iceland Cricket, which is famous for its light-hearted and often irreverent commentary on the sport, has again been making news by putting out a satirical "IPL 2025 Frauds and Scammers XI" on social media. Presented as a tongue-in-cheek criticism, the pseudo team includes top players who, in their opinion, have underachieved in the current IPL 2025 season. Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is leading the charge, and he has been jokingly appointed as the captain of the team.

It was posted on a rainy Reykjavík day and captioned, "On a rain day in Reykjavik, we give you our Indian Premier League 2025 frauds and scammers team," signaling its plainly satirical intention. Although full of jokes, the post created a buzz around the cricket fraternity with most widely discussing and arguing about it with varied opinions.

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Inclusion of players such as Pant and Iyer seems to be made on the basis of their poor stats. Pant, back from a lengthy layoff for injuries in competitive cricket, has hit just 128 runs in 11 games at a strike rate less than 100—way short of the expectations from a star batter. Venkatesh Iyer too has hit just 142 runs in that number of innings. Both players were among the most expensive buys in the 2025 auction as well, which gives the satire even more relevance.

The satirical lineup has evoked mixed reactions. Some commentators and fans enjoyed the satire as a way of light-hearted criticism and an interesting spin on player performances. Others warned that such descriptions—particularly using the terms "fraud" and "scammer"—were damaging, especially when aimed at athletes going through slump or recovery periods from injuries.

Despite the divided reception, Iceland Cricket's tweet has managed to get everyone talking. In a season where performances are being questioned more than ever before, this tongue-in-cheek remark highlights the intense pressure atmosphere of the IPL and the fine line between fanhood and criticism.

See post from Iceland Cricket below:

On a rain day in Reyjavík, we give you our IPL 2025 frauds and scammers team:

R Tripathi
R Ravindra
I Kishan
R Pant (c & wk)
V Iyer
G Maxwell
L Livingstone
D Hooda
R Ashwin
M Pathirana
M Shami

No impact player: M Kumar

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Jatin Verma

With over 12 years of experience in journalism, Jatin is currently working as Senior Sub-Editor at WION. He brings a dynamic and insightful voice to both the sports and the world o...Read More