5 most controversial IPL moments on the field
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed awe-inspiring cricket since the inaugural edition in 2008. From Brendon McCullum’s ton in Bangalore to Chris Gayle’s carnage against Pune Warriors, it has witnessed many peaks. Nevertheless, it has had its share of troughs. From the first season in 2008 to the 12th in 2019, the T20 tournament hasn’t been short of controversies. Let’s look at the five most controversial on-field moments in the history of the IPL:
5. Kieron Pollard throws the bat at Mitchell Starc- 2014
Kieron Pollard has been controversy’s own child and he got himself tangled into one even in the IPL. Back in the 2014 season, during the match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the West Indies limited-overs captain vented out his frustration at Mitchell Starc.
It started with Starc bowling a bouncer and following it up with some stern words. In the next ball, Pollard backed out, but the Australian pacer went on with his action with the ball aimed at Pollard’s body. It infuriated Pollard, who threw his bat on the ground in rage. As a result, he was fined 75 per cent of his match fees by Andy Pycroft.
4. Ravi Ashwin Mankading Jos Buttler- 2019
Ravi Ashwin, the former skipper of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), was greeted with flak after he ‘Mankaded’ Jos Buttler. In the match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Buttler was going great guns, scoring 69 runs. When he got out, the hosts needed 77 runs off 43 balls to win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Ashwin took the bails off at the non-striker’s end and the dismissal turned out to be crucial in the context of the game. Punjab won by 14 runs, but Ashwin was at the receiving end due to his antics, which were deemed to be against the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ by a number of experts and pundits.
3. Harbhajan Singh slapping Sreesanth- 2008
Harbhajan Singh isn’t someone, who bottles his emotions, but he also tends to get carried away plenty of times. In the inaugural edition of the IPL back in 2008, he lost his cool and ended up slapping Sreesanth. The incident took place after a match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and (KXIP).
Sreesanth was left teary-eyed following the occurring and even Harbhajan had apologised for the unruly behaviour. However, he also said that the fast bowler provoked him. The Mumbai spinner was then banned from playing in the rest of the IPL where he ended up missing 11 matches.
2. Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir’s altercation- 2013
Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are mostly known for their animated approach on the cricket field. They played critical roles for Team India over the years. But once during a match between RCB and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the duo lashed out at each other in the heat of the moment.
It all started after Kohli holed out to deep extra cover off the bowling of veteran fast bowler Laxmipathy Balaji. Thereafter, Gambhir and Virat charged at each other. They had a heated exchange of words and the on-field umpire had to intervene to bring sanity back into proceedings.
1. MS Dhoni’s argument with umpires – 2019
MS Dhoni is known as ‘Captain Cool’ because of his unflustered mindset on the field. But there have been a few times when now 39-year-old former Indian cricketer couldn’t hold on to his emotions. One such instance took place during Chennai Super Kings’ match against the Royals in Jaipur.
At the fag end of the match, he charged on to the ground after the on-field umpire revoked a no-ball call. Dhoni was a tad unhappy and he had a heated discussion with the match officials. Albeit the CSK won the contest, Dhoni was fined 50 per cent of his match fees for breaching ICC’s Code of Conduct.
