India’s iconic spinner, Harbhajan Singh, ignited a racism controversy on Sunday after comparing England fast bowler Jofra Archer to a ‘black taxi.’ His remark was made during the commentary for the IPL 2025 encounter between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The comment occurred during the 18th over of the first innings, as Archer bowled to SRH batters Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. Harbhajan’s controversial statement followed consecutive boundaries hit by Klaasen off Archer‘s second and third deliveries of the over.

“Just like the meter in London’s black taxis runs fast, Archer’s meter has also been running at full speed,” Harbhajan joked during the broadcast. His comment quickly sparked outrage among fans on social media, who demanded that he be removed from the IPL 2025 commentary panel immediately.

Archer had a challenging debut in IPL 2025, conceding 76 runs without taking a wicket in his match against Hyderabad. His performance turned out to be the most costly in IPL history, surpassing Mohit Sharma’s 0/73 for Gujarat Titans against Delhi Capitals last year.

In contrast, Sunrisers achieved a record by posting their fourth 250-plus total in T20 cricket, the most by any team, surpassing India and Surrey. However, they fell just two runs short of breaking their own IPL record for the highest team total, finishing at 286/6 against Rajasthan. Last year, they had posted 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ishan Kishan played a crucial role, scoring his maiden IPL century in just 45 balls.

SRH defeated Rajasthan by 44 runs, securing a winning start to their campaign.