Was referred to as ‘Kalu’ during IPL stint with Sunrisers: ‘Angry’ Darren Sammy alleges racism

Tags: West Indies, Darren Julius Garvey Sammy

Published on: Jun 07, 2020

Former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy has alleged that he was subjected to racist taunts during his stint for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to Sammy, he and Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera were referred to as ‘Kalu’. Sammy revealed that earlier he thought the meaning of the word was strong black man. But, now that he has learnt the actual meaning of the term, he is angry.

“I just learnt what that ‘kalu’ meant when I played for Sunrisers in the IPL. They call me and Perera by that name. I thought it meant strong Stallion. My previous post tells me something different and I’m angry,” Sammy wrote on his Instagram page. While he did not specify exact details of the allegations, Sammy further wrote. “Oh so that’s what that meant when they called me and @tp_perera kalu in India when we played for Sunrisers. I just thought they were calling me strong black man I’m more piss (sic) now.”

Sammy, who has led West Indies to two World T20 wins, has been a vocal supporter of the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, which started following the shocking killing of African-American George Floyd in the US. The 46-year-old died on May 25 in Minneapolis after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

36-year-old Sammy wants the ICC to deal with racism that exists in cricket in a serious manner. “@ICC and all the other boards are you guys not seeing what’s happening to ppl like me? Are you not gonna speak against the social injustice against my kind. This is not only about America,” he had tweeted earlier.

“For too long black people have suffered. I’m all the way in St. Lucia and I’m frustrated If you see me as a teammate then you see #GeorgeFloyd Can you be part of the change by showing your support. #BlackLivesMatter,” one of his other tweets read.

Sammy has featured in played 38 Tests, 126 ODIs and 68 T20 Internationals for West Indies.

Before Sammy, his former teammate Chris Gayle also admitted that racism very much exists in the gentleman’s game. “I have travelled the globe and experience racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on,” Gayle wrote in his Instagram story.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

Related News