Australian all-rounder Ben Cutting shared an amusing story that illustrates the zeal and fervor of IPL fandom. He joked about the amount of Instagram messages he gets: “If I scroll through my Instagram private messages now, there will be 150 every day that say, 'Can you make yourself available for the IPL as a replacement player?' for whatever team is next facing RCB (Big smile).” His joke highlights the extreme passion with which fans support the Indian Premier League and its legendary rivalries. 

The Royal Challengers Bangalore, long one of the most prominent franchises in the IPL, has a unique place in sporting emotions from fans and critics alike. RCB has a large fan fanbase, but it also has a steady amount of fans from rival fandoms giddy to see the team fail. Cutting's story gives insight into how this fandom can spill over into spaces we don't expect, such as the DMs of a retired or non-playing cricketer! 

This light-hearted moment comes at the time RCB has proven their critics wrong with qualification for the IPL 2025 playoffs. The team battled back in the second half of the season, with another group effort helping them land a finals berth. That qualification has sparked excitement amongst fans and brought back the hope to win that elusive IPL cup.

The RCB Effect: More Than a Team

RCB impacts more than what's taking place on a cricket field. Memes, twitter battles, and DMs to overseas players—RCB has become a pop culture entity. Cutting’s comments highlight how involved fans are with the game, to the point they’re going to ask for backup troops in their fictional battle against their favorite or controversial team.

Ben Cutting said "If I load up my private messages on Instagram now, there'll be 150 every day saying, 'Can you make yourself available for the IPL as a replacement player?' for any team that's coming up against RCB (Big smile)". [Espn Cricinfo] pic.twitter.com/v2JezOnlqy

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 22, 2025

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Even if Ben Cutting won't sport an IPL jersey this season, his iMessage suggests he is still a part of the cricket community especially where RCB is concerned. And as long as the IPL is a thing, we can be sure that players like Cutting will keep getting these funny—and somewhat desperate—texts from fans who live for every single game.