The Indian Premier League (IPL) is no less than a festival for the fans in the country. It is the perfect mix of cricket and entertainment. Not only does it entertain them with boundaries and sixes, but also gets them to witness their favourite stars playing for their favourite teams.
Looking back at the cash-rich league since its inception in 2008, it is clear that the IPL is more than just the fours and sixes or the wickets. Right from the start, every season has seen it's share of controversies.
Be it the "Slap Gate" in the opening season or "Spot-fixing fiasco" in 2013, there has not been one season when the tournament has not been marred by controversies.
A look at the major episodes that rocked the league in the first four years from its inception:
2008: Slap Gate
18 April 2008 was the day when the carnival began and as everyone expected, IPL quickly captured the imagination of fans as Kolkata Knight Riders posted a massive 222/3 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and went on to register a massive 140-run win, thanks to Brendon McCullum.
The former Kiwi skipper hit a spectacular 73-ball 158 to set the ball rolling in what has gone on to become the most successful domestic T20 league.
Everything seemed to have been going perfect for the BCCI and the fans until things turned ugly after just 12 days.
On 25 April, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was then leading the Mumbai Indians, was trapped in a major controversy after he was pictured slapping then Kings XI Punjab pacer S Sreesanth in Mohali.
Sreesanth was later seen crying bitterly on the ground while Harbhajan was banned from taking further part in the season, beside being banned from five ODIs as well by the BCCI's disciplinary committee.
According to reports, after Mumbai's 66-run loss to his team, Sreesanth had told Harbhajan Singh 'hard luck' which provoked the spinner to take the action and stirred a major controversy in the inaugural IPL, a start which no one had wanted.
2009: End of Road for Pakistani Players
The second season of the IPL saw the Pakistan Cricket Board first refusing to grant permission to its players to come and play in India after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Simultaneously, the Indian board also decided to keep the Pakistani cricketers away from the league.
While there have been talks and requests quite a few times over the years, but the IPL has not opened its doors to cricketers from the neighbouring country.
2010: IPL Chairman Lalit Modi Sacked
Lalit Modi, the man who started the league was ousted minutes after the final of the third edition for financial irregularities. It was a huge blow and the biggest controversy till then as Lalit Modi was charged on five counts -- shady initial bids of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab; a suspect broadcast deal with Sony; bid rigging of two new franchises this year and his behavioural pattern.
Chirayu Amin was appointed as the new chairman.
2011: Cheerleader Diary Causes Stir
South African cheerleader Gabriella Pasqualotto was thrown out by Mumbai Indians for blogging on how cheerleaders were treated poorly and cricketers misbehaved with the girls.
"I was sent home as if I was a criminal. I was treated as if I had taken drugs or done something awful, and I was never offered an opportunity to give my side of the story. It's a joke. There were cameras everywhere at these after-parties, watching what they got up to. The guys treated us like piece of meat. We couldn't go anywhere without the crowds mobbing us," she had told reporters after returning home.
2012: SRK Gets Banned From Wankhede
Involved in an altercation with the security guards at the Wankhede Stadium after a game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan was banned by the Mumbai Cricket Association for five years and denied entry into the stadium.
While officials said that SRK had abused some of the guards and officials, the superstar had refuted saying he had only tried to protect his family who had gone to watch the game.
Luke Pomersbach Arrested Over Molestation Charge
The Australian player was arrested after a US woman filed a case of molestation against the Royal Challengers Bangalore player. He was suspended pending enquiry by the franchise. But the woman who had also blamed him of beating up her fiance, withdrew the case and the player was let off.
2013: Spot-Fixing Fiasco Rocks League
This year will always be remembered for the arrest of S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan by the Delhi Police for their involvement in fixing matches. CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan was also suspected of being involved in betting and former BCCI president had to step aside for his son-in-law's (Meiyappan) role in the whole fiasco.
The face of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) changed forever with this as the Mudgal panel did the initial investigation and handed over its report to the Supreme Court.
The apex court then appointed the Lodha panel to look into the situation and propose necessary changes. Six years on, the BCCI is still looking to emerge from what has been the darkest phase in its history.
2014: Preity Zinta-Ness Wadia Fight
The news of their official split had come in 2013 when the actress said that they were just friends and partners in the Kings XI Punjab team. But things went from cordial to ugly in 2014 when during a game at the Wankhede Stadium, Wadia allegedly threatened her with dire consequences and abused her in front of others.
Preity filed a complaint as soon as the IPL got over that season. Wadia, though, had claimed the allegation were baseless.
2015: Kohli Breaks BCCI Guideline
It was a game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru when a rain break saw Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh engaging in a conversation with Kohli's future wife, actress Anushka Sharma, as the latter had come to watch the game. As per the anti-corruption rules of the Indian cricket board, players aren't allowed to speak to outsiders during a game. He was let off with a verbal warning.
2016: IPL Games Moved Out of Mumbai And Pune
The High Court while pulling up the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered that 13 games in the eighth edition of the league be moved out of Maharashtra. Even though both Mumbai and Pune IPL teams had promised to use treated sewage water to maintain grounds as also donate to the drought-relief funds, the court did not relent.
It was reported that operations were being cancelled in some hospitals in the state due to the paucity of water. The Supreme Court also dismissed the petitions of the Maharashtra and Mumbai cricket associations to set aside the Bombay High Court order.
2017: Pollard-Manjrekar Spat
Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard wasn't pleased with Sanjay Manjrekar's comments during his team's match against Kolkata Knight Riders. The former India player had said that the all-rounder lacks the "brains" to play early in the innings.
Annoyed by the reaction, Pollard took to Twitter and wrote: "@sanjaymanjrekar you feel any positive can come out of your mouth because you get paid to talk you can continue with your verbal diarrhoea.
"Do you know how I get big so.. about BRAINLESS.. words are very powerful .. once it leaves you can't take it back.. sins of parents fall on...(sic)"
2018: Chennai Forced to Shift Base
Back in the IPL after serving a two-year ban, Chennai Super Kings were asked to shift base from Chennai with the protests over the Cauvery issue getting bigger. The decision was taken after political parties, activists and social groups strongly opposed the hosting of the league matches.
The BCCI shifted Chennai Super Kings' home games to Pune after there were huge protests during the first game of the season between CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders. An unidentified protestor even flung a shoe at Ravindra Jadeja during the match.
2019: Ashwin Mankads Buttler
The umpiring woes notwithstanding, the biggest controversy in the 12th edition of the IPL has been Kings XI Punjab skipper R. Ashwin's decision to "Mankad" Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler. While Ashwin made it clear that he had not done anything against the law, there were cries in certain sections that as skipper he should have maintained decorum and not played against the spirit of the game.
The house was divided with some pundits saying that Ashwin didn't require to warn Buttler as per the new rules, others said that despite the change in rules, a warning should have been given to the batsman.
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