Lavanya Lakshminarayanan, Deputy Team Lead at Sportstar, the sports publication of The Hindu Group, has come under criticism on social media after objecting to singer Kailash Kher’s performance during the Indian Premier League (IPL) final on 31 May 2026, as reported in OpIndia.
The controversy began after Kailash Kher performed “Babam Bam,” a devotional song dedicated to Lord Shiva, during the IPL closing ceremony. The performance featured drone displays and religious imagery associated with Lord Shiva.
Reacting to the event, Narayanan wrote, “Keep religion out of sport.”
When BJP Goa later shared visuals from the ceremony and praised the cultural showcase, she responded, “Private event. Private money.” ” Indeed.”
The remarks sparked criticism online, with several users highlighting Narayanan’s earlier social media posts involving Islamic practices and religious expressions.
One of the posts that resurfaced was from April 2021, when Narayanan responded “Masha allah!” to a video showing football players from a Turkish team breaking their Ramadan fast during a match in Ankara.
Another post from May 2022 showed Narayanan sharing a Pakistan Cricket social media post promoting an Eid special programme featuring cricketers Imam-ul-Haq, Diana Baig and Aliya Riaz, while extending Eid greetings.
Several of her earlier posts relating to the Karnataka hijab controversy also resurfaced.
In February 2022, Narayanan stated that she was not a Muslim woman and therefore did not believe her voice should carry weight on the issue. However, she added that she had known many Muslim women who viewed the hijab as “an identity marker” and a “very freeing one.”
When another user argued that women using the hijab as an identity marker could undermine secular ideals, Narayanan responded by questioning how many Muslim women the commenter personally knew and argued that patriarchy should not be discussed exclusively in relation to Islam.
She further asked, “Do you see anyone telling Hindus to not wear a bindi or any other religious markers to school and locking gates till they do? At least acknowledge the problem for what it is.”
When a user argued that schools required uniform standards and restrictions on religious attire, Narayanan replied, “But hijabs or burkhas are the exact opposite of nudity/inappropriate dressing. If religious markers go, shouldn’t they all? Don’t see any such sanctions for the others?”
Another February 2022 post showed her reacting to visuals from the Karnataka hijab protests by writing, “We should be terrified. Why aren’t we more terrified of where this is heading? Look at those men!”
Her comments on Hindu religious imagery and traditions also resurfaced amid the controversy.
In a 2019 Diwali-related post featuring an image of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, Narayanan wrote: “Please take one good long look at Sita’s face. She’s so done with this patriarchy-pavitrta shit.”
Her comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attracted renewed attention. In January 2023, reacting to remarks made by Modi about observing mothers’ time-management skills, Narayanan wrote: “Good. A lesson about the very essence of patriarchy from the Prime Minister.”
Another post that resurfaced was from August 2024, when she praised wrestler Vinesh Phogat following her qualification for the Paris Olympics final. Sharing a Sportstar article, Narayanan wrote: “Apologies for being crass. What a big middle finger to life and patriarchy’s shithousery. You are an inspiration, @Phogat_Vinesh.”
The renewed scrutiny prompted Narayanan to issue a longer response defending her criticism of the IPL ceremony.
Addressing the backlash, she wrote that many people flooding her mentions and direct messages were comparing the IPL’s mid-innings show with religiously themed celebrations by teams and individuals. She argued that the criticism was directed at the league organiser itself and not individual athletes or teams.
“The whole point of the criticism is that India in its current geopolitical form is, or was, envisioned on secularism. How are people evading that very simple point like the plague?” she wrote.
She added: “It’s one thing for players or teams to indulge and a whole other thing for it to come from a league’s organiser.”
Far from ending the controversy, Narayanan’s defence only intensified scrutiny of her public positions. While she objected to a Shiva-themed performance at the IPL on secular grounds, her own long trail of posts celebrating or defending Islamic religious expressions, from Ramadan observances and Eid greetings to the hijab controversy expose her hypocrisy. The backlash was therefore not merely about one IPL performance, but about whether India’s self-styled secular commentators apply the same standards to every faith.
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