IPL: 5 Most Embarrassing Moments In The History Of The Tournament

IPL 2021 will start soon and Indian cricket fans will witness nail-biting matches for over two months. The tournament will kick-off with the first match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. A total of 60 matches will be played among 8 teams at 6 different venues during IPL 2021.

Indian Premier League is a big source of entertainment in India. However, along with entertainment, the tournament has also made controversies for several embarrassing moments over the last 13 editions. These moments are like a dark spot on for the Indian Premier League and they were criticized for affecting the ‘Gentlemen’s Game’ of cricket in a negative way. Here we look at the 5 most embarrassing moments in the history of the Indian Premier League.

IPL: 5 Most Embarrassing Moments In The History Of The Tournament

Kieron Pollard Throws Bat On Mitchell Starc

It was one of the most aggressive moments in the Indian Premier League. In a match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians in IPL 2014, Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc engaged in an ugly spat. The Australian pacer Mitchell Starc bowled a bouncer in the 17th over which Pollard missed. Starc sledged the West Indies all-rounder Pollard as the latter ignored to react.

In the next ball, Starc started his run-up but Pollard moved away from the stumps stating he was not ready. However, Starc still threw the ball towards Pollard.

This made the Mumbai Indians player Pollard angry and he threw his bat towards Mitchell Starc in a quick response. However, the bat slipped from his hand and did not hurt anyone. Umpires talked to both the players and brought the situation under control.

Virat Kohli And Gautam Gambhir Engage In Verbal Spat

In IPL 2013, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli engaged in an ugly verbal spat. Gambhir was the skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders while Virat Kohli was leading Royal Challengers Bangalore.  In the 10th over, Kohli was caught out by bowler Laxmipathy Balaji. While leaving the crease, Kohli made a remark to the bowler. However, Gambhir did not take any of it and defended his bowler.

As they exchanged words, they started walking towards each other. KKR’s played Rajat Bhatia intervened and calmed down Kohli. Few players also took Gautam Gambhir aside and calmed him down. RCB won the match after chasing 155 batting second. Later both the players agreed that the alternation was a result of the heat of the moment.

Danny Morrison Lifts Cheerleader On Shoulders

In IPL 2008, New Zealand commentator Danny Morrison once lifted a cheerleader on his shoulders while giving a pitch report. The former New Zealand cricketer Morrison is popular for his witty and humorous way of commentating. However, this time he went a little far. Danny Morrison was giving the pitch report with Ramiz Raza. There were 5 cheerleaders on the field, one of whom was sitting on Danny Morrison’s shoulders. This was an awkward incident to witness and the commentator was also criticised by the Indian media.

Harbhajan Singh Slaps Sreesanth

This was another embarrassing incident that happened in the first edition of IPL 2008. Harbhajan Singh was leading Mumbai Indians in the match against Kings XI Punjab. Sreesanth, who was part of Kings XI Punjab, engaged in sledging the opposition team during the match.

Sreesanth also aggressively sent off the Mumbai Indians’ batsmen whom he dismissed. After Kings XI Punjab won the match, Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth on the field. Sreesanth was seen crying on the field after the incident. Harbhajan Singh was found guilty of the incident and banned for the rest of the IPL matches and 5 ODIs by BCCI.

IPL 2013 Spot Fixing Incident

This is the biggest dark spot on the Indian Premier League. Three players of Rajasthan Royals- S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan were charged with spot-fixing in IPL 2013.

As a result, they were also arrested by police. BCCI banned all three of them from cricket. But S Sreesanth’s ban was reduced to 7 years and ended in 2020. All three players were acquitted by Patiala High Court, however, none of them returned to the Indian Premier League.