Why is IPL 2026 Presenter Sahiba Bali Facing Social Media Backlash?

In the world of cricket, there are not only players who keep fans intact with the game, there are presenters and anchors as well who put all their efforts to make the game interesting. Talking about one, there is one of the renowned sports presenter, Sahiba Bali, who is quite active with Star Sports covering Indian Cricket Team as well as working with the Punjab Kings during the IPL. However, she has been under spotlight as Sahiba Bali controversy has been trending and made fans curious to know that why she is facing backlash on social media.

Sahiba Bali Social Media Backlash: Explained

Sahiba Bali IPL 2026 start has not been great as she has been facing backlash on social media for old remarks and which are being converted into controversy. A user on X (formerly Twitter) took out her remark about movie Kashmir Files in which she had said, “I don't like movie Kashmir files, It's a propaganda film and it's a CRAP.”

This made the fans furious but on the other hand, these were only the thoughts of Sahiba and what she believed is due to her roots from Kashmir and expresses that the city has been portrayed in a other way as it is in reality.

Another user reminded everyone of her post about eating “Beef” which is prohibited in Hindu religion, and also visiting a sacred place like Ujjain Mahakal. Her family roots belong to Kashmir and Hindu Punjabi family, where eating Beef is not allowed and hurts the sentiments of the people.

This also adds with another remark about having different perception about Pakistan in media and in reality. While Sahiba has been accused of all these things, it is to be noted that the views on this post are the user's personal views and Sportsdunia does not align with them.

All this backlash is against her, stating that she is too sympathetic towards Pakistan. On the other hand, she has not made any statement till now, which can surely clear all the misunderstanding going on in the media.

Sahiba Bali Career

Sahiba Bali has worked in the industry for years now, where she started as an actor in a few Bollywood movies and went on to be a sports presenter associated with the Star Sports and Punjab Kings. She has been seen a number times taking interviews of some of the most famous cricketers in the world, where she was also present at the BCCI Naman Awards 2026. Recently, she has also started her YouTube and Snapchat Channel, “Journey to Jersey”, covering the stories of cricketers.