'I’m not surprised by the hate' Robin Uthappa opens up on dark side of modern-age franchise cricket

Hate is always on the menu for cricketers around the globe. With stars facing criticism, envy and whatnot almost after every game, it all goes over the line at one point. It has come to a stage in life as well as sport, where hate has become directly proportional to the rise in franchise cricket.

Robin Uthappa recently posted his image supporting Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans, and one of the fans pointed out that even though the 37-year-old played six years for Kolkata Knight Riders, he has never been seen supporting the franchise after getting released in 2019. In reply, the former opener mentioned that ‘love and respect is a give and take thing’, for which Uthappa received a lot of criticism on the social media platform.

The loyal supporters of the two-time champions pointed out that Uthappa was acting bitter as KKR did not hand him the captaincy in 2018, as Gautam Gambhir decided to part ways. The franchise eventually released him in 2019, and the cricketer went on to play for CSK and did well last season before calling his time in the cash-rich league.

Notably, after receiving a lot of hate on Twitter, the cricketer stated that he understands where the hate is coming from and mentioned that he only wanted to share his experience. Replying to that, former India international Irfan Pathan asked Uthappa to ignore the hate and see love in it.

“I’m not surprised by the hate I’m receiving here for what has been MY experience. Peace and love to you all!!” Uthappa tweeted. “Hate ko hata mere bhai. Bas pyaar ko dekh,” Pathan replied.

Robin Aiyuda Uthappa@robbieuthappa

I’m not surprised by the hate I’m receiving here for what has been MY experience. Peace and love to you all!! 🤟🏾🫶🏾

Irfan Pathan@IrfanPathan

@robbieuthappa Hate ko hata mere bhai. Bas pyaar ko dekh.

09:49 PM · May 23, 2023

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After Gauti was let go, everything changed and I feel alienated: Uthappa

On May 24, Robin Uthappa clarified that he has no problem with the fans and that he still loves them but mentioned that things changed after Gautam Gambhir left the two-time champions. Uthappa also stated that he felt alienated, and that eventually made an impact on his performance in the last two years. 

“So much has been said since last night & I thank you for sharing. However I have always maintained that my 1st 4 yrs in KKR when gauti led was completely diff from my last 2 years and that had a huge impact on my performances. I can assure you it had nothing to do with Captaincy!

Robin Aiyuda Uthappa@robbieuthappa

So much has been said since last night & I thank you for sharing. However I have always maintained that my 1st 4 yrs in KKR wen gauti led was completely diff from my last 2 years and that had a huge impact on my performances. I can assure you it had nothing to do with Captaincy!

03:48 PM · May 24, 2023

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“After Gauti was let go, everything changed and i felt alienated. However my love for the fans of KKR was the same and will remain the same forever. I’m forever grateful for their support and I wanna clarify that!! This isn’t about the fans of KKR. I’ll forever love and respect them,” Uthappa tweeted.

Robin Aiyuda Uthappa@robbieuthappa

After Gauti was let go, everything changed and i felt alienated. However my love for the fans of KKR was the same and will remain the same forever. I’m forever grateful for their support and I wanna clarify that!! This isn’t about the fans of KKR. I’ll forever love and respect em

04:02 PM · May 24, 2023

4.5K323