Top 10 IPL controversies of all time

We have come a long way in the past decade. Cricket, as we knew, has undergone a massive transformation, swept in the swirling winds of the Twenty20 (T20) format. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is already in its eighth edition.Also read: IPL T20: Highest and lowest team score, biggest run chaseIt wasn’t too long ago that the ICC held a meeting in Cape Town to formally approve international matches in the breezy format that had begun to capture the imagination of people. It was still the summer of 2006 and ironically, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was the only board to vote against the move. How times have changed since then?Threatened by a parallel league run by Zee Network in India, the BCCI swung into action only a year later to ratify the IPL just before India went on to win the 2007 World T20. As soon as the league came into being, it attracted money, media and motivated men like bees to flowers. And ever since the beginning, controversy has been a constant companion to the fledgling league.In this feature, we present to you ten of the darkest controversies to have plagued the league and tarnished the reputation of cricket in India.

#10 Shane Warne fined for allegedly abusing official (2011)

In the 2011 edition of the IPL, Shane Warne was infuriated about not having a say on the pitch used at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. It is the home ground of the Rajasthan Royals and the condition of the pitch had been a subject of discussion leading into the match.

The RCA secretary at the time, Sanjay Dixit, registered a complaint with the BCCI alleging that Warne had verbally abused him in full public view immediately after a match between the hosts and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

An IPL panel comprising of an IMG official, Ravi Shastri and chairman Chirayu Amin conducted a hearing to understand both versions of the story. Eventually, Warne was handed a $50,000 fine and the controversy provided an opportunity for former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi to vent his frustration against the officials on Twitter.

#9 Shah Rukh Khan banned from Wankhede Stadium for 5 years (2012)

Bollywood superstar and Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was involved in an ego-fuelled altercation with a security guard at the Wankhede Stadium in the summer of 2012. Just after KKR had won the match against the Mumbai Indians, the star’s children and their friends were indulging in some fun and games on the playing surface.

When the security person attempted to get them off the ground, an incensed Shah Rukh indulged in a nasty brawl that gained national attention. The Mid-Day published an alleged transcript from the interaction and television channels had a field day playing up the controversy over the next few days. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) subsequently held an investigation into the incident and banned the actor from entering the stadium for five years.

#8 Ravindra Jadeja\'s one-year ban (2010)

With the league gaining in prominence with each passing season, Ravindra Jadeja was a victim of some wrong guidance in February 2010. The promising all-rounder had a contract with the Rajasthan Royals, but a month away from the start of the 3rd season of the IPL, Jadeja was penalised for trying to seek a move to the Mumbai Indians.

Instead of staying loyal to the Royals, Jadeja was found to have violated the IPL code of conduct by seeking to secure a better contract with other teams in the league. The IPL handed Jadeja a one-year ban for his act of indiscipline and for breaking the player trading rules. Jadeja appealed against the decision, but it was in vain as IPL authorities decided to make an example of Jadeja and send out a strict warning against such actions.

#7 Luke Pomersbach arrested for allegedly molesting a woman (2012)

A whiff of scandal was already clouding the league and the scent turned completely foul when a 27-year-old Luke Pomersbach was arrested by the Delhi police for allegedly molesting an American Indian woman. The incident came just two days after the Shah Rukh Khan incident at the Wankhede Stadium and did nothing to enhance the flagging reputation of the league.

The RCB batsman was subsequently charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code. It was alleged by the lady in question that Pomersbach had followed her into the bedroom and indulged in some unscrupulous behaviour. When the victim’s fiancée intervened, he was apparently beaten up by the Australian.

The case was later settled out of court and the charges against Pomersbach were dropped.

#6 Wayne Parnell & Rahul Sharma caught at a rave party (2012)

In what was another shameful incident for the reputation of the IPL, Indian leg-spinner Rahul Sharma and South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell were arrested by the Mumbai police after being caught at a rave party in Juhu. Although both Pune Warriors players denied any wrongdoing, tests found that they had both taken recreational drugs.

While there was general dismay at the behaviour of the players, they found support from the likes of N Srinivasan and Sourav Ganguly, who said that they shouldn’t given too harsh a punishment considering that they had not taken any performance enhancing drugs.

#5 Kolkata angered as KKR ignore Sourav Ganguly (2011)

There are few people in the world that are as passionate about their sport as those in Kolkata. So when the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise did not bid for their very own Sourav Ganguly in the 2011 IPL auctions, it was no surprise to see the people of Kolkata take to the streets to voice their displeasure. Fans launched a “No Dada, No KKR” campaign that saw several protests being organised both on the streets and social media.

A Facebook page was dedicated for the purpose and the protest group received plenty of media attention in India and elsewhere. The city wasn’t happy to see their man dumped unceremoniously by the league – neither KKR nor any other franchise bid for the veteran captain. Attendance dropped at the Eden Gardens and the team’s lack of success, especially at the start, only made the team’s life more miserable. Eventually, they had some satisfaction as Ganguly replaced an injured Ashish Nehra for the Pune Warriors.

#4 IPL terminates Kochi Tuskers Kerala (2011)

The Kochi franchise from Kerala had a stop-start existence in the IPL that saw as much action off the field as on it. Their brief existence in the league was brought to an end after only one season, when the BCCI terminated their franchise over ownership issues.

The inception of the franchise was also shrouded in controversy, with Shashi Tharoor being accused of using his ministerial clout to obtain a stake in the franchise through his late wife Sunanda Pushkar.

Tharoor was made to pay the price in his political career too as he was forced to resign as Minister of State for External Affairs. Subsequently, on 19 September 2011, the BCCI issued a termination notice to the franchise when they failed to produce the bank guarantee needed to cover their annual fee for 2012.

#3 Dismissal of Lalit Modi (2010)

The man who has been credited with fuelling the growth of the T20 format in the country saw his fortunes nosedive in the summer of 2010. In a dramatic move, just minutes before the presentation for IPL 3, Modi was dismissed by the BCCI for massive financial irregularities.

His downfall also had a connection with the termination of the Kochi Tuskers. Modi had tweeted the shareholding pattern of the Tuskers, breaching confidentiality provisions. His tweet led to the exit of Tharoor from the Union Cabinet, but it also served to lay the foundation for his own exit from the IPL.

Since then, Modi has been living in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom on grounds of his security being under threat in India.

#2 Slapgate involving Harbhajan Singh & S Sreesanth (2008)

Neither man is immune from controversy, so it was no real surprise when Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth had a post-match altercation that provided timeless fodder to television networks. In the very first edition of the IPL, the incident occurred just after the Kings XI Punjab defeated Mumbai Indians in Mohali. Harbhajan was alleged to have slapped Sreesanth on the face with his right hand.

In 2013, the controversy was raked up again, courtesy of Sreesanth suggesting that the whole incident had been planned and asserted that the actual footage of the incident was with the IPL authorities but being suppressed. We may not have heard the last of this story just yet.

#1 Spot-fixing threatens to derail IPL (2013)

The IPL sank into its biggest controversy yet, when spot-fixing reared its ugly head again in 2013. This time, though, the rot seemed to have spread deeper, reaching near institutional levels. The involvement of team owners besides key players pointed to a malaise that was threatening to turn fatal not just to the league, but to cricket itself.

The case started with the arrest of bookies in Delhi and Ahmedabad but exploded in dramatic fashion when they caught Vindoo Dara Singh. The story gained depth very quickly with police establishing the involvement of Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, who were principal owners of the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, respectively.

The Delhi police also arrested three cricketers – S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – all of whom were part of the Rajasthan Royals and found to have established connections with the bookies. The judiciary intervened to remind N Srinivasan (father-in-law of Meiyappan) of his responsibility, forcing him to step down from his role in the BCCI.

In October 2013, the Supreme Court appointed a three-member committee led by Mukul Mudgal to prepare a report on the investigation. The Mudgal committee submitted their report in February 2014, but it is yet to be made fully public. More dark skeletons might tumble out of the closet, if and when it is made available.