Cricket and banter go hand in hand. But Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), an IPL franchise, may have not got the memo. Uber, a ride-hailing company, recently partnered with explosive Australian batter Travis Head for a series of short advertisements themed around Hyderabad and Indian Premier League to promote their bike-taxi service. Head, for the uninitiated, plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) team. “I’m Travis Head, and we are the Hyderabaddies!” the batter says in the 58-second ad while escaping on an Uber Moto. The clip then rewinds to the moment leading up to this – Head’s character enters what seems like Bengaluru’s iconic M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, masquerading as a security personnel. Once inside the stadium, the SRH batter is seen vandalising a signage reading “Bengaluru Vs Hyderabad” with spray paint. When the real security guard shows up, Head can be seen fleeing on an Uber motorcycle. However, RCB did not like the ad. But why? Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd that owns RCB has filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court alleging that the Uber advertisement titled “Baddies in Bengaluru” infringes upon their trademark. Head’s character notably distorts the franchise’s name to “Royally Challenged Bangalore” in the promo ad. Also Read: ‘IPL Is IPLing’: How Delhi Capitals Match Against Rajasthan Royals Stopped The Heartbeat Of Fans “Ee Sala Cup Namde” (This year, the cup is ours) – RCB’s popular slogan also appears on the stadium wall in the now-viral ad – has been misused to minimise their brand identity, the franchise’s legal team contended before Justice Saurabh Banerjee. RCB counsel told the court that the ad was a targeted attempt to “mock” the brand identity of the franchise. Uber, in their response, defended their ad calling it a “lighthearted promotional campaign”. The ride-hailing company argued that they had not infringed upon any trademark and asked RCB to simply combat humour with humour instead of a lawsuit. “RCB has severely and massively underestimated the Indian public’s sense of humour — including that of their own fanbase,” Uber’s counsel stated. No Sense Of Humour? IPL fans were baffled by the lawsuit, to put it mildly. “RCB has Danish Salt who has taken dig at Sunil Gavaskar or other teams or even players, they themselves only posted a video on Jitesh’s remark on CSK sponsored by Big Basket. They call it “Don’t give it, if you can’t take it back”. But cries every time others do something,” wrote one user on ‘X’ while responding to the news. “We keep hitting new lows every day..The said franchise has literally hired a comedian who keeps on poking at every possible player/franchise.. Crybabies.” “What for though? Make a counter ad instead and use it as an opportunity to promote the game ffs (sic),” another added. and their fans keep talking about how other teams can't take banter (which is actually abusing the cricketers their families etc in the name of banter) while the actual team when it comes to actual banter: https://t.co/GsfrAvXasg — r.· ͙ (@xdelusionalsoul) April 17, 2025 Reception To Ad IPL fans, who watched the Uber’s promo with Travis Head much before the lawsuit came to light, found it “hilarious” and “creative”. “Now, that’s what I call a creative ad!” read a YouTube comment. “Uber’s marketing is top notch they know whom to tease.” “this ad is so wholesome. even for RCB fans ? (sic),” “Nowadays, companies have also started trolling RCB.” Also Read: Why Were KKR Awarded 5 Runs Against Punjab Kings During Fielding Blunder In IPL? Streisand Effect What the Royal Challengers Bangalore lawsuit against Uber has done is more and more IPL fans, who were initially unaware of the ad, are now sharing it online, while taking jibes at the Bengaluru-based franchise. The contentious ad has clocked 1.4 million views thus far on YouTube since it was first uploaded on April 5. Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 13.