Lalit Modi (on left), IPL Cheerleaders (on right) {Source: AFP}
The 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League concluded on May 31 after two long months of exciting cricketing action coupled with several unwanted controversies.
From the Riyan Parag’s Vape incident to Virat Kohli-Travis Head handshake snub, the IPL 2026 witnessed some of the most controversial moments in its entire history.
Making matters worse, the league also saw a few off-the-field fusses that gave rise to the debate if IPL still remains at the stature it began at.
Only a few days after the IPL 2026 final, the former IPL boss revealed a dark truth about the league that nobody had even thought about.
“It was all scripted”: Ex-boss opens up on secrets behind off-field controversies in the IPL
In a recent interview with the Humans of Bombay podcast, former Indian Premier League (IPL) chair Lalit Modi made an intriguing yet bizarre revelation. Modi revealed that the majority of off-field controversies that happen during the tournament are scripted.
He further stated that the IPL think-tank would intentionally plant news in the media to generate hype if viewership ratings fell.
When asked to provide an instance of such planting of news, Modi revealed that he was the one who shared news of a South African captain having an affair with a cheerleader. This had generated significant interest among the public in India, which had drastically improved the tournament’s ratings.
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"One cricket player who happened to be a captain of South Africa had an affair with a cheerleader. I learned about it. We leaked it to the media because we wanted that scandal. He went on to marry that cheerleader. That was amazing."
"But we scripted it to leak. We didn't script it to happen. Well, focus shifted there. Ratings shifted. We saw a huge spike. The number one pillar of IPL was controversy," Lalit Modi states.
This disclosure has since taken the cricket world by storm, with people intrigued to know whom he is referring to.
Thus, in this article, take a look at the IPL players who dated cheerleaders in the past and went on to marry them.
IPL Player Who Married A Cheerleader
1. Quinton de Kock and Sasha Hurly
The love story of veteran South African wicket-keeper batter Quinton de Kock and former cheerleader Sasha Hurly is one of the most talked-about fairy tales, which began in the biggest franchise league in the world.
For the unversed, Sasha and Quinton met during the Champions League T20 tournament in 2012, as per reports. Sasha allegedly worked as a cheerleader back then while Quinton de Kock was playing for the Highveld Lions.
According to publicly available information, their first contact was via social media during the tournament. As time passed, their friendship blossomed into something very special.
After dating for a few years, Quinton de Kock and Sasha Hurly got engaged in 2015, and a year later, in 2016, they eventually tied the knot, making headlines among the cricket fraternity. In 2022, the couple welcomed their very first child, a daughter called Kiara.
From the IPL to ICC tournaments and bilateral cricket series, Sasha has often been spotted cheering for Quinton from the stands.
2. Mohammed Shami and Hasin Jahan
Another very well known name in the list of cricketer who married a cheerleader in Indian veteran pacer Mohammed Shami.
The Lucknow Super Giants pacer, Shami first crossed paths with Hasin Jahan, a former model, during the 2012 IPL season. It was reported to be love at first sight for Shami, who took the initiative to start a conversation.
After dating for a while and gaining their respective families' blessings, the couple tied the knot on June 6, 2014, in Moradabad. Following their marriage, Hasin Jahan stepped away from modelling and her role as an IPL cheerleader.
A year later, in 2015, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Aaira Shami.
However, in March 2018, their relationship collapsed amidst highly publicised allegations.
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