Top 10 Controversies in IPL History 2008-2023: From Sourav Ganguly’s Snub to Spot-fixing Scandals
The Indian Premier League is one of the most famous and profitable sports leagues in the world and when something grows to this big level it is bound to get controversial. Today in this article we’ll discuss the Top 10 controversies in IPL history, that were quite the talk of the town and even maligned the name of the league on various levels. The seventeenth edition of Tata IPL started from 22nd March 2024Â and since its starting we have seen some tension in Mumbai Indians, will it turn into a big controversy that time will tell , till now let’s focus on the Top 10 Controversies in the history of Indian Premier League 2008-2023.
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1 . Kolkata angered as KKR ignore Sourav Ganguly
Few individuals in the world have the same level of dedication to their sport as the people of Kolkata. It was therefore not surprising to see Kolkata residents take to the streets to express their dissatisfaction when the franchise controlled by Shah Rukh Khan chose not to bid on their very own Sourav Ganguly during the 2011 IPL auctions. A “No Dada, No KKR” movement started by fans resulted in a number of demonstrations being planned for the streets and on social media. The Eden Gardens saw a decline in attendance, and the team’s lack of success—particularly early on—only made things worse for them. They eventually found some solace when Ganguly joined the Pune Warriors in place of an ailing Ashish Nehra.
2 . IPL terminates Kochi Tuskers Kerala (2011)
In the Indian Premier League, the Kerala-based Kochi franchise witnessed as much drama off the pitch as on it throughout its erratic tenure. After just one season, the BCCI dissolved their franchise due to ownership disputes, ending their brief career in the league.A great deal of controversy surrounded the franchise’s founding as well. Shashi Tharoor was accused of leveraging his ministerial connections to get ownership of the franchise through his late wife Sunanda Pushkar. After the franchise failed to provide the bank guarantee required to pay their yearly fee for 2012, the BCCI issued a termination notice to them on September 19, 2011.
3 . Dismissal of Lalit Modi (2010)
In the summer of 2010, the man whose fortunes have been attributed with driving the rise of the T20 format in the country took a plunge. Modi was abruptly fired by the BCCI for serious financial issues minutes before the IPL 3 presentation. There was a connection between his demise and the Kochi Tuskers’ termination. Modi violated confidentiality agreements by tweeting the Tuskers’ shareholding structure. Not only did his tweet cause Tharoor to resign from the Union Cabinet, but it also set the stage for his own IPL dismissal. Since then, Modi has been living in self-imposed exile in the UK because he believes that his safety in India is in danger.
4 . Slap gate involving Harbhajan Singh & S Sreesanth (2008)
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Since neither man is immune from controversy, the post-match fight between Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth, which gave television networks endless fuel, came as no real surprise. The incident happened shortly after the Kings XI Punjab defeated the Mumbai Indians in Mohali in the inaugural IPL season. It was said that Harbhajan struck Sreesanth in the face with his right hand.2013 saw Sreesanth stir up controversy once more by claiming that the incident was staged and that the real film of it was in the possession of the IPL administration but was being withheld. It’s possible that this tale is far from over.
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5 . Spot-fixing threatens to derail IPL (2013)
When spot-fixing resurfaced in 2013, the IPL plunged into its greatest scandal to date. This time, however, it appeared that the decay had progressed farther and had almost reached institutional levels. In addition to prominent players, team owners were implicated in an illness that threatened to destroy cricket as a whole, not just the league. After bookies in Delhi and Ahmedabad were apprehended, the case took a dramatic turn when Vindoo Dara Singh was apprehended. The authorities swiftly added layers to the plot by proving the involvement of Raj Kundra and Gurunath Meiyappan, the major owners of the Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, respectively.
6 . Shane Warne fined for allegedly abusing official (2011)
Shane Warne was furious during the 2011 Indian Premier League season that he was unable to say anything about the pitch that was utilised at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. The state of the pitch had been discussed before the game because it is the home field of the Rajasthan Royals. Following a match between the hosts and the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Warne allegedly verbally attacked Sanjay Dixit, the secretary of the RCA, in broad daylight. Dixit filed a complaint with the BCCI. In the end, Warne received a $50,000 fine, and the incident gave former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi a platform to express his annoyance with the officials on Twitter.
7 . Shah Rukh Khan banned from Wankhede Stadium for 5 years (2012)
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In the summer of 2012, Shah Rukh Khan, a Bollywood celebrity and co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, got into an egotistical fight with a security guard at the Wankhede Stadium. The star’s kids and their pals were having a good time and enjoying games on the pitch shortly after KKR defeated the Mumbai Indians. Shah Rukh got into a vicious fight that made headlines nationwide when the security guard tried to get them off the ground. Following an investigation into the event, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) prohibited the actor from accessing the stadium for a period of five years.
8 . Ravindra Jadeja’s one-year ban (2010)
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As the league became more well-known every season, in February 2010 Ravindra Jadeja fell prey to some incorrect advice. The talented all-around player was under contract with the Rajasthan Royals, but only one month before the third IPL season began, Jadeja was fined for attempting to sign with the Mumbai Indians. Jadeja was judged to have broken the IPL code of conduct by trying to get a better deal with other teams in the competition, rather than remaining devoted to the Royals. Jadeja received a one-year ban from the IPL for his lack of discipline and for violating the player trading regulations.
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9 . Luke Pomersbach arrested for allegedly molesting a woman (2012)
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The league was already smelling scandal, and when Delhi police arrested 27-year-old Luke Pomersbach for allegedly abducting an American Indian woman, the stench of scandal turned utterly putrid. The incident did little to improve the league’s already poor reputation and occurred just two days after the Shah Rukh Khan incident at Wankhede Stadium. Subsequently, the RCB batsman faced charges under several sections of the Indian Penal Code. The woman in question claimed that Pomersbach had followed her into the bedroom and had engaged in some dishonest activity. The guy was reportedly beaten up by the Australian after his fiancée intervened. Eventually, an out-of-court settlement was reached, and Pomersbach’s allegations were withdrawn.
10 . Wayne Parnell & Rahul Sharma caught at a rave party (2012)
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After being discovered at a rave party in Juhu, South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell and Indian leg-spinner Rahul Sharma were taken into custody by the Mumbai police, in yet another embarrassing development for the IPL’s reputation. Tests revealed that both Pune Warriors players had used recreational drugs, despite their denials of any wrongdoing. Despite widespread disapproval of the players’ actions, N Srinivasan and Sourav Ganguly offered support, arguing that the players shouldn’t have received a harsh punishment because they had not used performance-enhancing substances.
So these were to the Top 10 controversies in the history of IPL since 2008. In an event this big no one can avoid controversies and incidents are bound to happen. All we can do is learn from them and make sure not to repeat in the future.
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