Top 5 Controversial Moments in IPL History

There is no doubt that the Indian Premier League(IPL) is one of the most popular franchise leagues in the world. There have been a lot of great moments that we have grown to love in the league. The IPL has been a part of some of the greatest moments in T20 cricket. Right from the Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural title with one of the most inexperienced squads to Chris Gayle scoring 175 runs are some of the iconic parts of history that we can never forget as a fan of the game.

However, due to the popularity of the league, we do get those rare backlash moments as well. The Hardik and Mumbai Indians controversy might be trending right now, but there were moments even darker. Those were the wildest moments of the IPL that we wish to forget as soon as possible. These controversial moments have not been a great moment for the league at all. Even the individuals who were involved in these cases will never want to go back to those days.

So here are the top 5 controversial moments in IPL history that shocked and upset the world:

5. The Ashwin- Buttler Mankad incident

The year was 2019 when a very thrilling game was played between the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab( Punjab Kings). Jos Buttler was still one of the top players for the Royals and was playing a great innings till Ravichandran Ashwin who was Punjab’s skipper ran him out at the non-striker's end. This gave Ashwin a lot of hate for the way he dismissed the English batter. However, it was he who still followed the rules of the game. It was a terrible day for Buttler who was now known as the first batter in the IPL to get dismissed in this fashion.

4. Kohli and Naveen fight

There is one man you do not mess with on the field and that is Virat Kohli. This happened after the game between Lucknow SuperGiants(LSG) and Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) last season. While the teams were shaking hands it was Afghanistan pacer Naveen UL Haq that made that mistake by getting into an altercation with the King. This battle soon turned into a war with the coaches getting into the war as well. This also led to the crowd chanting Kohli’s name when Naveen came into the bowl. This is a moment of poor sportsmanship that took an ugly turn which both the players will like to forget.

3. SRK misbehaving  at the Wankhede

This time there were no players and only owners involved. It was none other than Shah Rukh Khan who was also the co-owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. The Badshah of Bollywood had an ugly altercation with the security guard at the Wankhede stadium when the man refused to let his children play after the game. This led to the Bollywood actor getting suspended from the venue due to misbehaving with the staff. This incident in 2012 was one of the rare black marks on the superstar's report card which he will never want to talk about. 

2. Sreesanth- Bhaji slap gate incident

It was the first season of the IPL in 2008 and one of the first few games between Kings XI Punjab and the Mumbai Indians. This was a day when Sreesanth was not only on top with his bowling performance but also his sledging as well, going after every Mumbai batter. On the other hand, Harbhajan Singh was having a terrible time and even displayed that as he didn’t enjoy the comments from Sreesanth. The Turbanator slapped Sreesanth across the face leading to the camera displaying Sree crying on live television. This incident also led to Bhaji being suspended and was no longer the Mumbai Indians captain that season.

1. The Spot fixing scandal

This was the darkest moment in the IPL which once again features Sreesanth. After the betting scandal was caught hold of by the police, they also caught up in a spot-fixing scandal involving Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. This not only ruined Sreesanth’s and those two talented spinners' careers but also the credibility of the tournament. This also led to some people petitioning to cancel the league completely as well. This is perhaps the worst moment the league has ever witnessed in the last 17 years.