Mumbai Indians’ cheerleaders, during an IPL match

Calcutta: It may not be the ideal way, but controversies do lend a helping hand to achieve stardom.

Gabriella Pasqualotto, the sacked Mumbai Indians cheerleader who created a stir after she alleged in her blog that many top players in IPL-IV treated the cheerleaders as “meat”, has been offered a role in a Bollywood movie.

According to a South African daily, Gabriella has also been invited to the inaugural edition of Formula One Grand Prix in India. The report also added that the 22-year-old has been flooded with media requests from all over the world since her return. An American news channel and top radio DJs from Australia have requested for interviews of her.

Pasqualotto, however, was unfazed by all the hullabaloo and claimed that her blogs were light, fun and innocent. “It’s not all malicious. I mentioned Graeme Smith, but that was old news anyway. When I called Aussies naughty, it was meant as mischievous and not in a sexual way,” Pasqualotto was quoted as saying.

Pasqualotto, however, said that she was quite happy to stand by her blogs and tweets.

“I would like to thank everyone for their support and I’m still a big fan of my team, the Mumbai Indians. Maybe there will be a Part III and if there is, it will probably be about this whole debacle,” she said.

It might be recalled that Pasqualotto was sent back home after she blogged about her role as a cheerleader and the after-dark activities of some of the world’s top cricketers.

Pasqualotto revealed to the newspaper that she suspected one of the members of her cheerleading team of telling the cricketers about her blogs.

“Some of the girls were texting the cricketers. I heard that a cricketer or certain cricketers went to the IPL chairman — those guys had guilty consciences and were scared of what I might say. They were scared I might reveal names! I was treated like a common criminal! I was not sleeping with any of the cricketers. They behaved like schoolboys running to the principal!”

She added that tickets for the IPL after-parties could be bought by anyone, with “loads of people taking photographs” at every party.

She said many of the stories about her on the internet were either incorrect, misquoted from her blog or outright lies. “One Indian newspaper claimed I had asked for money to reveal everything. That’s rubbish. There is so much I could have said about cricketers. But I haven’t done that. I have not accepted any money for my blogs or for any interviews. And I am not taking any legal action against anyone.

The IPL did not respond to requests for comment and Cricket SA’s spokesman, Michael Owen-Smith said: “This matter has absolutely nothing to do with CSA.”

Pasqualotto’s mother Amanda, meanwhile, was furious at the treatment meted out to her daughter by the IPL.