Five controversies that rocked IPL

We list the biggest controversies to take place in the IPL.

5. The 'Rave Party' incident

In IPL 2012, two players of the erstwhile franchise Pune Warriors India, Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell were caught in a bit of a pickle, to say the least.

Mumbai Police found the duo at a 'rave party' following a raid and they were arrested along with 90 other people, which included some Bollywood personalities and celebrities.

Mumbai Police then confirmed that both Rahul Sharma and Wayne Parnell had tested positive for recreational drugs consumption despite continued denial by both the players who claimed that they had ismply been 'in the wrong place, at the wrong time.'

4. Shah Rukh Khan banned from the Wankhede

Shah Rukh Khan's high-profile spat with security forces at the Wankhede Stadium drew all the headlines during IPL 2012. The Bollywood star allegedly got into an altercation with the security guards at the stadium following his team KKR's win.

While Shah Rukh Khan claimed that the security personnel misbehaved with his children and their friends, the other side of the story saw Khan being accused of getting into a drunken brawl with the security after overstepping his privileges.

Regardless, the no-nonsense approach of the Maharashtra Cricket Association saw the KKR's co-owner being banned from entering the Wankhede Stadium for a period of five years.

3. The Modigate

It is no secret that the Indian Premier League was indeed the brainchild of Lalit Modi, who was claimed as a visionary during the initial years of the cash-rich league.

However, after reaching an almost-celebrity like figure in India, Lalit Modi was sacked from his post as IPL chairman in 2010 on several charges of financial misgovernance and corruption.

Modi had apparently handed out tenders and contracts to his friends and family and had misused his privileges. The BCCI banned Lalit Modi for life in 2013.

2. The slapgate controversy

The first season of the IPL did not lack interest from the cricket audience around the world. However, moments like the 'slapgate' controversy drew even greater eyeballs towards the league.

During the match between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth which led to the then-Indian pace bowler crying in front of cameras.

Replays of that incident hugged the limelight of news coverage across media channels and the exact cause of the incident remains a mystery to this day.

1. Spot Fixing Scandal

The 'Spot Fixing Scandal' unearthed in the IPL shook the foundations of cricket in India and had wider ramifications for the sport.

Delhi Police charged three Indian players – S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan for spot-fixing, and they were arrested subsequently.

Though all three players were cleared of the charges after they were found not guilty by the Patiala House Courts, Ajit Chandila was banned from all forms of the sport by BCCI in 2016.

It was also discovered that Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of BCCI chief N Srinivasan and the owner of CSK was also in contact with bookies.

As a result, the RM Lodha Committee suspended the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals resulting in both teams being barred from playing in the IPL for two seasons.