Irfan Sajjad deletes post about Rubaba Dowla after online backlash

Corporate figure and sports organiser Rubaba Dowla has recently joined the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as the director. Her appointment has sparked plenty of chatter online, some congratulatory, some simply curious.

Actor Irfan Sajjad joined the buzz by posting a photo of Rubaba Dowla on Facebook with the caption: “If the boys still can’t perform after this, there’s no hope left.”

The ‘lighthearted remark’, however, did not land well with everyone. Many social media users felt the joke could be taken the wrong way, prompting a wave of criticism.

One user even shared a screenshot of the post, urging public figures to be more thoughtful about their words.

Irfan soon replied in the comments, explaining, “I don’t know how well you know me, but I’m just a regular guy and a big fan of Bangladesh cricket. I often make sarcastic posts about poor performances. This was meant as a joke! Rubaba Apu is my crush, and I actually welcomed her to the BCB. What I meant was, if even after such a talented and beautiful person joins the board, our players still can’t find motivation, then there’s no hope.”

To avoid further misunderstanding, Irfan deleted the post. “Some people took it the wrong way, so I removed it,” he said later. “It was meant purely as humour—people shouldn’t label others without getting the context.”

Coincidentally, Irfan’s new web series Eta Amaderi Golpo (This Is Our Story) premiered Wednesday on the Cinemawalla YouTube channel. Directed by Mohammad Mostafa Kamal, the series also stars Keya Payel, Khairul Basar, Sunerah Binte Kamal, Monira Mithu, Nader Chowdhury, and Borda Mithu.