IPL: 5 Most Intense Fights Between The Players

The IPL has seen a lot of fights so far in the thirteen editions and the intensity of the tournament has been really high which has resulted in their aggressive behaviours. The tournament has never been due for action and the fans have entertained to the highest standard so far.

Also, the big stage has not allowed the anger of the players to get the better out of them and the fair play award was introduced to reduce the number of controversies inside the field. The players have always been careful about having a word with the umpires which could hamper their fair play award too. Here are the five most intense fights between the players.

5 Most Intense Fights Between The Players:

Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh(2008):

The inaugural edition saw Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh getting involved in a rare incident which was the only physical behaviour that had taken on the IPL field so far. The two players who are known for aggressiveness generally in the field did take on each other playing in an IPL league between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians.

Sreesanth was seen crying before the post-match presentation and it was revealed that Harbhajan had slapped Sreesanth while shaking hands after the match. Sreesanth revealed the reason behind the incident was that he told ‘hard luck’ and it had heated up Harbhajan after losing the game. The matter was investigated deeply and Harbhajan was banned from taking part in the remainder of the 11 games in the season.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli(2013):

Gambhir and Virat played a crucial part in the World cup win in 2011 and the two Delhi batsmen have always made the headlines after making open statements. This incident happened in IPL 2013 in a game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gambhir had known the importance of Kohli’s wicket during run chase.

Gambhir couldn’t stop his emotions at the fall of Kohli’s wicket and Kohli had splashed a few words against the bowler which did not help the cause. Gambhir and Kohli raged towards each other with abusive language and the umpires along with the players had to intervene to stop the players from the verbal abuse.

Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard(2014):

The Australian left-arm quick Mitchell Starc was involved in a fierce battle with Kieron Pollard in the 2014 IPL edition. Pollard is a fearsome batsman and any bowler will be thinking a lot while bowling to him as he can torment their figures. Pollard has played a lot of mind games in the past and he wanted to hold up play as he wasn’t ready while Mitchell Starc was steaming in.

He moved out while Starc ran into the bowl, but Starc did not stop from releasing the ball and followed into the batsman which almost hit Pollard. Pollard threw his bat in anger towards Starc’s direction which fell short luckily and there was an exchange of looks between the players.

??Munaf Patel and Amit Mishra (IPL 2011):

Amit Mishra and Munaf Patel were involved in a spat in the IPL 2011 and it wasn’t the best of evenings for both of them. In a match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians, the two Indian players were involved in verbal exchange and the umpire had to intervene.

Munaf Patel who is not known for aggressive behaviour generally wasn’t happy with the fact that he was taken on by Amit Mishra for two boundaries. Amit Mishra is generally known for his spin skills can play handy innings down the order and the two did not back down to collide against each other.

Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu(2016):

Harbhajan Singh is a player who refuses to control his emotions and this was the only incident that took place between players of the same team in the IPL 2016. This happened in a match between the Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants as Saurabh Tiwary hit Harbhajan into the deep in search of a boundary.

Ambati Rayudu put an excellent effort to stop the boundary but Harbhajan wasn’t impressed and he lashed out at Rayudu. Rayudu in turn raged towards Harbhajan and the off-spinner had to act maturely. He calmed down Rayudu and let him wack down back to his fielding position. At one stage, it looked like the two would get into physical action.