The Union Health Ministry has instructed the Indian Premier League (IPL) to ban all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertisements, including surrogate promotions, ahead of IPL 2025. The Director General of Health Services, Atul Goel, urged cricketers to refrain from any involvement in promoting tobacco or alcohol products directly or indirectly. He emphasized the importance of role models like cricket players promoting a healthy lifestyle, as tobacco and alcohol are major contributors to Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in India. The health ministry highlighted the high number of deaths related to tobacco and alcohol use in the country and called upon IPL to support government health initiatives.
The IPL 2025 season is set to kick off on March 22, with the opening ceremony in Kolkata and the final also taking place in the West Bengal capital. The auction saw Rishabh Pant as the most expensive purchase by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore, while Shreyas Iyer joined Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crore. The health ministry’s directive aims to ensure that IPL promotes public health and encourages a healthy lifestyle among its audience.
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