Picture this.<\/p>\n
The T20 World Cup is happening in India. The stands are packed, the buzz is real, and the energy is exactly what you would expect from one of cricket\u2019s biggest tournaments.<\/p>\n
Now add this thought.<\/p>\n
The people who spend their lives covering the game are stuck refreshing emails, waiting to find out if they can even enter the stadium.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Getting accreditation as a journalist for a World Cup on home soil has turned into its own mini tournament.<\/p>\n
You apply weeks in advance. Then you wait.<\/p>\n
Maybe you get approved. Maybe you don\u2019t. Maybe you get access to the press conference but not the match. Maybe you get neither. And if your name isn\u2019t on the match day list, the security guard at the gate is not going to entertain your explanations.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a strange place to be in.<\/p>\n
IND vs WI, T20 World Cup Super 8 match: Preview<\/a><\/p>\n Because outside, fans are queuing for tickets. Inside, brands are hosting guests. And somewhere in between, the people whose job is to tell the story of the tournament are wondering whether they\u2019ll even be allowed to watch it from inside the stadium.<\/p>\n Inside the same venue, however, there\u2019s another kind of access story playing out.<\/p>\n Content creators are walking around pitchside, making reels with players, sitting in premium stands, and soaking in the experience as invited guests of global brands. They\u2019re filming from angles journalists aren\u2019t even allowed to stand near them.<\/p>\n But increasingly, these are not really content creators. They are influencers.<\/p>\n \u201cAs accredited journalists, we can\u2019t shoot videos on match days, we can\u2019t record PTCs inside the stadium, we can\u2019t post practice footage, and we can\u2019t even share clips from press conferences. Exclusive access to players? Forget it. But if you\u2019re an influencer, it\u2019s a different story. VIP access, brand deals, special treatment. What\u2019s truly appalling is that many of them have little sense or understanding of the game, while we, who cover it day in and day out, are treated like side characters by the administrators,” one of those frustrated journalists said.<\/p>\n Another journalist shared that the system has started to feel random.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been tough dealing with last-minute match-day approvals from the ICC. While the Delhi cricket board and Tamil Nadu cricket board are trying to coordinate with journalists before approvals, the matchday access for other venues are handed out randomly. Rejections come just 48 hours before a match, making it almost impossible to plan coverage. It\u2019s frustrating to see people with no real interest in the sport getting pitch-side access while journalists waiting to write meaningful stories are left outside,”<\/p>\n And yet, not everyone inside the VIP zones feels entirely comfortable with the setup either.<\/p>\n Because sometimes, even the invitees are unsure why they are there in the first place.<\/p>\n THE ROYAL INFLUENCER TREATMENT<\/p>\n Prachi Singla, a Mumbai-based content creator, told India Today how she landed at the India vs South Africa Super 8 match in Ahmedabad through a brand contest.<\/p>\n \u201cI entered the contest, created my look through Google Gemini, uploaded it on Instagram, and after a few days, I got a call from Google India saying I had been selected for the match,\u201d and just like that, Prachi, even to her biggest surprise, was at the stadium watching one of India\u2019s most vital matches in this T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, I was confused, thinking, \u2018Is this a scam?\u2019 because no one ever calls saying, \u2018You\u2019re selected, and we\u2019ll cover everything.\u2019 But then they sent all the details\u2014flight, 4- to 5-star hotel, and even a cab driver for me the whole day,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Yes. Flights, hotel, cabs, everything was taken care of.<\/p>\n The whole experience felt surreal.<\/p>\n While Prachi was soaking it all in, she also found herself quietly questioning the bigger picture.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I reached the President\u2019s stand, I realised there were many other creators there too, invited by brands like Budweiser and Pepsi. Everyone was there to amplify the event. Some were making content about the match, while others were just documenting their presence.\u201d<\/p>\n And then came the honest thought.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really understand why content creators are needed to promote something like the World Cup. The excitement in India is already massive and doesn\u2019t really need that extra push,” Prachi said.<\/p>\n Outside these premium enclosures, though, the vibe was very different. Several fans, including some who had travelled all the way to Chennai, were left scrambling for tickets despite matches being sold out. Many ended up turning to the black market and paying way above the actual price, which naturally raises the question of who the real access was meant for in the first place.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just about Prachi’s experience.<\/p>\n The debate burst into the open when RJ and influencer Princy Parikh posted a reel after India\u2019s loss to South Africa. <\/a>The video showed her clapping beside David Miller on the field, set to the viral \u201cWah Shampy Wah\u201d voiceover.<\/p>\n SHAMEFUL ACT<\/p>\n Princy Parekh, a Gujarati content creator known for funny reels and vlogs, recently made a reel with David Miller.<\/p>\n After that, she received r@pe threats and abuse.<\/p>\n India\u2019s youth is going in a wrong direction. Sad! pic.twitter.com\/FBoNTJBemq<\/a>\u2014 Jeet (@JeetN25) February 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The fans didn\u2019t take it kindly.<\/p>\n How would they? Most of them were still coming to terms with India\u2019s unbeaten run ending in a heavy 71-run defeat to South Africa.<\/p>\n The reel was quickly stamped as \u201ccringe\u201d.<\/p>\n Many felt the moment called for sensitivity rather than \u201cfun content.\u201d<\/p>\n Others questioned whether influencers should even have that level of proximity to players in emotionally charged situations.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s when the conversation began to shift.<\/p>\n It stopped being about blaming creators.<\/p>\n It became about asking why they were put in that position to begin with.<\/p>\n Because this looks like a simple exchange. The ICC gets reach and follower numbers, while influencers gain visibility by attaching themselves to the biggest event in the sport.<\/p>\n ARE ALL THESE REALLY NECESSARY?<\/p>\n Content creators have undoubtedly added to the noise. But they haven\u2019t been the only ones.<\/a><\/p>\n In the build-up to India vs South Africa, a cafe-style pre-match promo leaned into classic rivalry banter.<\/a> An Indian fan joked about \u201crepeating history\u201d from the 2024 final while taking a dig at a South African supporter, with the punchline looping all the way back to the Proteas\u2019 old \u201cchokers\u201d tag, something that feels older than history now after their WTC triumph.<\/p>\n The cupcake ad did not age well for Indian broadcasters. (Photo: Star Sports)\n<\/p>\n Then South Africa went out and flipped the script.<\/p>\n And the internet did what it does best. Flipped it right back.<\/p>\n In a tournament already full of creators chasing clicks through rivalry-driven content, the promo just became another voice in the chaos. Instead of rising above it, the broadcast joined the banter and handed social media the easiest comeback of the week.<\/p>\n Which raises a simple question.<\/p>\n Do we really need this extra spice?<\/p>\n Is tempting fate against a team in top form the smartest way to build hype?<\/p>\n Because when the drama starts getting louder than the cricket, it stops feeling like fun build-up and starts looking like self-sabotage.<\/p>\n IF GEN Z IS THE TARGET, WHY NOT DO IT RIGHT?<\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably seen Jake Jeakings floating around at IPL or World Cup games.<\/p>\n He\u2019s the one people nudge their friend about because he looks like Sam Curran. But once you get past that, you realise he\u2019s not there for vibes or brand selfies.<\/p>\n He\u2019s there because he actually loves cricket.<\/p>\n Speaking to India Today, Jake explained how most of what he does isn\u2019t sponsored luxury but self-funded madness.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t even call myself a content creator, honestly. I just enjoy making videos. Over the last year and a half, I\u2019ve worked two jobs just to afford these trips. I\u2019d finish one shift and go straight into another because this is something I really care about.\u201d<\/p>\n And that brings up the obvious thought.<\/p>\n If the ICC or broadcasters really want to reach younger, or Gen Z fans through these creators, why not do it with people who already live inside the game?<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s about getting the right creators involved. People who genuinely love cricket and want to see it grow. Not people who just get roped in because they have a ton of followers but don\u2019t know a thing about cricket,\u201d he said<\/p>\n Jake isn\u2019t asking for special treatment.<\/p>\n Just a fair shot.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the ICC has got its priorities wrong. They need to understand there\u2019s no harm in bringing in actual cricket-focused creators.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, back in the real world, journalists are still refreshing their inboxes and hoping their names make it onto the matchday list.<\/p>\n Apply weeks in advance, wait for approval, plan coverage around uncertainty, and still risk being turned away at the gate.<\/p>\n Inside the same venue, someone is filming a reel with a player.<\/p>\n And that is where the whole thing begins to feel less like progress and more like a mismatch.<\/p>\n Because this debate isn\u2019t really about influencers vs journalists.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about what access is being rewarded for.<\/p>\n Is it about how well you understand the game, tell its stories, and contribute to its growth? Or is it simply about how many followers you have on Instagram?<\/p>\n Journalists are trained to take the game to new audiences and unfamiliar spaces. Influencers, more often than not, operate where the attention already exists.<\/p>\n The concern isn\u2019t that influencers are being invited in.<\/p>\n It\u2019s that the door seems to open based on reach rather than relevance.<\/p>\n T20 World Cup<\/a> | T20 World Cup Schedule<\/a> | T20 World Cup Points Table<\/a> | T20 World Cup Videos<\/a> | Cricket News<\/a> | Live Score<\/a><\/p>\n – Ends<\/p>\n Published By: <\/p>\n Debodinna Chakraborty<\/p>\n Published On: <\/p>\n Mar 1, 2026 11:43 IST<\/p>\n