Most hilarious, creative cricket fan banners and signs of all time

A funny banner for South African batter (Image source: Twitter)

The game of cricket is what it is due to the crazy fandom it attracts. The fiery rivalry between India and Pakistan, the historically significant Ashes series between England and Australia, and the World Cup tournaments, all of these make the game special. The fans just add the cherry it needs to make it more special.

The fans cheer for their favourites, jeer the players they hate, and often bring the joy and adulation that the game of cricket deserves. Oftentimes, this love, hate, and banter is shown by fans using banners and signs that they carry onto the grounds. This also gives the camerapersons a lot of content to show on the TV in between overs.

They wave when the cameras pan on them, chanting names and flaunting banners that say all kinds of amazing things. Therefore we check out 10 of the best banners in the game of cricket.

Here are the 10 best banners and signs brought by cricket fans in the stadium:

10. Kamran Akmal gets a cheeky message from some fans

Kamran Akmal had a very successful career for Pakistan, as he featured in 53 Tests, 58 T20Is, and 157 ODIs from 2002- 2017. He was a wicketkeeper-batter and was often employed as an opener in limited-overs cricket. However, he was often trolled for his poor wicketkeeping and was known for dropping catches at important moments and YouTube is full of compilations of his follies.

However, this group of fans decided to use Kamran’s habit of dropping catches and turned it into a sweet and cheeky message for the cricketer. This witty message showed both their love for the cricketer and their humour.  

9. Kid puts IPL before homework

The Indian Premier League captured the imagination of every cricket fan since it began in 2008. The IPL gave every cricket fan its dream combination of seeing Indian players playing in the same team with foreign talents. The BCCI also took advantage of holding the tournament in vacation months so that kids and youngsters could enjoy the tournament.

And this kid here didn’t miss a chance to watch his favourite stars in action on the IPL field. His sign was a clever one which said that he was skipping his homework to watch the match and was asking MS Dhoni to make the punishment he would receive for missing his work worth it.

8. Fan wants Marnus Labuschagne’s help in correctly pronouncing his last name

Marnus Labuschagne is one of the best long-format batters in the world today. Born in South Africa, Marnus has a unique-sounding last name which has a difficult pronunciation. The proper South African pronunciation is “Lah-boo-skuhk-knee”. The cricketer revealed that his wife made him simplify the name and now it’s pronounced as ‘Lah-boo-shane’ like champagne.

The cricketer had explained this in a video on cricket.com.au. But when Australia travelled to Pakistan, a fan there held a banner asking Marnus to help her pronounce his last name as the video didn’t help.  

7. Fans in Kolkata protest after Sourav Ganguly left KKR

No Dada. No KKR

There was a huge controversy when Kolkata Knight Riders decided to part ways with the city’s favourite cricketer Sourav Ganguly after the first three seasons of the Indian Premier League. When the IPL 2008 began, Ganguly was an icon player for KKR which is co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan.

But the team couldn’t perform well and many blamed Sourav Ganguly as well for the failures given that he was no longer playing international cricket and there were fitness issues. KKR decided to part ways with him ahead of the IPL 2011 auction and when the tournament happened, fans held up signs of “No Dada, No KKR” when the side played in Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

6. Virat Kohli > Superman

A group of young fans showing their love for Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has been an inspiration and role model for young players ever since he began playing cricket and took over the captaincy of the Indian team. He took the team to new heights in Test cricket and even in ODIs and T20Is, he performed admirably. His batting has always inspired many young players to take up cricket.

His fitness and dedication to the game are second to none and many feel that he is superhuman. He has done superhuman things with the bat in the field of cricket, including helping India chase 300-plus runs inside 37 overs against Sri Lanka once. His all-time great T20I knock against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2022 is one to remember for ages.

This is why these fans simply said that who needed Superman when they had Virat Kohli to get inspired from?

5. Indian fan’s unique farewell to Australian team in the 2011 World Cup

Australia and India had clashed in the quarter-final of the ICC World Cup 2011 at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad. In one of the best matches of the tournament, the three-time defending champions gave India a run for their money. However, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, and Yuvraj Singh were enough to knock them out of the tournament.

This enthusiastic fan decided to bid a witty farewell to the Australian team with a banner showing a boarding pass for Australia’s departure from India.  

4. One for Quinton de Kock

Apologies in advance for this one, but Quinton de Kock‘s last name has made fans bring some very witty banners and signs during South Africa’s matches. The 31-year-old recently announced his retirement from ODI cricket and the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 will be his final outing in the format. He will, however, be available for the T20I format for South Africa.  

3. Admiration for Rahul “The Wall” Dravid

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman marked one of the brightest eras in Indian cricket. Along with Virender Sehwag, they formed the fab five of Indian batting who served the team for a long time. They ruled the 2000s thanks to their record-breaking feats with the bat.

While Tendulkar was known for his records, Ganguly for his leadership, and Laxman for his silken touch; Dravid was the unsung hero of the Indian team. He did whatever the team asked him to do and this fan decided to pay rich tribute to the sacrifices and importance of Rahul Dravid with this banner.

 2. Zaheer Khan gets a love letter from a female fan

Zaheer Khan made his debut for India in 2000 and became the leader of the Indian bowling attack shortly thereafter. A left-arm pacer he was truly a master of his craft and finished his career with over 300 Test wickets and 282 ODI wickets. He was also part of India’s 2011 World Cup win and was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

During the 2000s he was also a heartthrob for many female fans and this fan proposed to Zaheer Khan with a special banner in a Test against Pakistan. Even the video of the same went viral on YouTube.

1. One for the god of cricket Sachin Tendulkar in his last-ever international game

Not a witty sign, not a humorous banner, but this is a true tribute by a fan to the master Sachin Tendulkar. This fan attended one of the last two Tests which Tendulkar played in 2013. He played his 199th Test in Kolkata and ended his cricketing career in international cricket by playing his 200th Test in Mumbai.