The Indian Premier League is the greatest cricket show on earth. However, behind every stunning six and million-dollar auction, the IPL has also produced controversies so dramatic they reshaped how cricket is governed in India. In 17 years, the tournament’s controversies have led to player arrests, franchise bans, the downfall of the league’s very founder, and debates that are still unresolved today.
1. Slapgate: Harbhajan Singh Slaps Sreesanth (IPL 2008)
The IPL was barely 12 days old when it produced its first major scandal. After the game between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians in Mohali, Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh struck his India teammate Sreesanth. Sreesanth was spotted in tears after the match and later confirmed the incident to ESPNcricinfo. The BCCI’s probe commissioner Sudhir Nanavati confirmed in his investigation that “In the video footage, I have seen Harbhajan use the backside of his right palm to give him a slap on the right side of his face.”
According to report, Harbhajan was banned for 11 IPL matches and the BCCI subsequently handed him a 5-match ODI ban as well, as reported in this BCCI disciplinary report. The image of a tearful Sreesanth became one of the most iconic and unfortunate images of the tournament’s early years.
2. Lalit Modi Suspended and Expelled (IPL 2010 and 2013)
Without Lalit Modi, the IPL would not exist. The man who conceived and built the tournament was suspended moments after the conclusion of the 2010 IPL final. BCCI president Shashank Manohar announced the suspension immediately after the final, stating that Modi’s “alleged acts of individual misdemeanours have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket.”
The BCCI’s list of charges against Modi included rigging of franchise bids, irregularities in broadcasting rights sales, and financial misconduct across multiple IPL transactions. A BCCI committee found Modi guilty on eight separate charges of “various acts of indiscipline and misconduct.” He was subsequently expelled for life from the BCCI in September 2013. Modi left India following his initial suspension and, as of the time of writing, has not returned.
3. Shah Rukh Khan Banned from Wankhede (IPL 2012)
When Bollywood’s biggest star gets banned from a cricket stadium, it becomes international news. The Mumbai Cricket Association banned Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan from entering Wankhede Stadium for five years following an altercation with security guards after a KKR vs Mumbai Indians match on May 16, 2012.
The MCA alleged that Khan had entered the stadium without accreditation and used abusive language toward officials. Shah Rukh denied the allegations, telling reporters he was reacting to what he described as the “obnoxious” treatment of his children by stadium officials. According to ESPNcricinfo, a Mumbai police investigation four years later declared that no “cognisable offence” had taken place.
4. The 2012 TV Sting: Spot-Fixing Exposed Early
Before the larger 2013 scandal, a television sting in 2012 exposed rot at the lower levels of the tournament. According to Wikipedia’s verified account of the 2012 IPL spot-fixing case, a Hindi news channel aired a sting operation accusing five players of seeking money in exchange for spot-fixing. The BCCI handed bans to all five, including a life ban on Deccan Chargers pacer TP Sudhindra, a five-year ban on Kings XI Punjab’s Shalabh Srivastava, and one-year bans on Pune Warriors India’s Mohnish Mishra and Kings XI Punjab’s Amit Yadav. This scandal specifically showed how uncapped, lower-profile players were being targeted by betting networks.
5. The 2013 Spot-Fixing Arrests: The Crisis That Shook the Nation
This is the controversy that changed everything. On May 16, 2013, Delhi Police arrested three Rajasthan Royals players — Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan — from Mumbai, on charges of fraud and cheating related to spot-fixing during the IPL. This is confirmed by the Wikipedia entry on the 2013 IPL spot-fixing case, which is one of the most comprehensively sourced Wikipedia cricket entries, built from verified court documents, police filings and official BCCI statements.
Eleven bookies were also arrested simultaneously. The BCCI appointed its ACSU chief Ravi Sawani to lead an independent inquiry. His report found Sreesanth and Chavan guilty, and the board’s disciplinary committee handed them life bans. In March 2019, the Supreme Court of India set aside the life ban and asked the BCCI to reconsider, after which an Ombudsman reduced the ban to seven years.
6. Gurunath Meiyappan Arrested: CSK’s Darkest Week
Just eight days after the Rajasthan Royals arrests, the scandal reached the highest levels of the most successful franchise in IPL history. According to Wikipedia’s 2013 IPL spot-fixing record, on May 24, 2013, Mumbai Police arrested Gurunath Meiyappan, a top official of Chennai Super Kings and son-in-law of then-BCCI president N Srinivasan, on charges of betting and sharing insider information with bookmakers.
The arrest triggered the Supreme Court of India to demand N Srinivasan temporarily step aside from BCCI duties to allow a fair investigation. The court famously described his continued presence as “nauseating.” This was an extraordinary moment where India’s apex court directly intervened in the governance of the national cricket board. It set the stage for the franchise bans that would follow two years later.
7. Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir: The On-Field Clash (IPL 2013)
In the middle of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, two of India’s greatest modern cricketers provided a separate controversy entirely. During a league match in 2013, KKR captain Gautam Gambhir and RCB skipper Virat Kohli had a verbal altercation on the field that required players and an umpire to intervene physically. Both captains charged at each other. Both teams were fined for the incident.
Moreover, as Outlook India’s historical IPL controversies piece confirmed, the two captains had been involved in this charged altercation during the 12th match of the 2013 season. It remains the most visually dramatic on-field player confrontation in the IPL’s 17-year history.
8. CSK and Rajasthan Royals Banned for Two Years (2015)
This was the punishment that shocked the entire cricket world. On July 14, 2015, the Supreme Court-appointed RM Lodha Committee suspended India Cements and Jaipur IPL, the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals respectively, for two years. According to Wikipedia’s verified account, the committee also banned for life Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra from any involvement in cricket matches.
Former Chief Justice of India RM Lodha, who chaired the committee, stated clearly: “Disrepute has been brought to cricket, the BCCI and the IPL to such an extent that there are doubts abound in the public whether the game is clean or not.” The two franchises were replaced for two seasons by Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions. CSK returned in 2018 and immediately won the title. It remains the only franchise-level suspension in the history of any major franchise cricket league in the world.
9. Ashwin Mankads Buttler: Rules vs the Spirit of Cricket (IPL 2019)
No single on-field moment in IPL history has divided global cricketing opinion more sharply than this one. On March 25, 2019, Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin ran out Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler at the non-striker’s end before delivering the ball, in the 13th over of the match. According to ESPNcricinfo’s match report, Buttler was on 69 off 43 balls and Royals were 108 for 1, favourites to win the chase of 185.
The third umpire ruled Buttler out. Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals mentor at the time, publicly called Ashwin’s action “embarrassing, disgraceful and low.” Royals coach Paddy Upton said at the press conference that he would “leave it up to the cricket world to judge R Ashwin’s actions tonight.” Buttler’s dismissal triggered a collapse of eight wickets for 62 runs as Kings XI won by 14 runs. The ICC later moved Mankading from the unfair play section of the Laws to the run-out category, effectively ending the legal debate, even if the ethical argument continues.
10. No Sri Lankans in Chennai: Politics Enters the Ground (IPL 2013)
This controversy showed how deeply political forces can reach into the world’s most commercial cricket league. In 2013, Sri Lankan cricketers were banned from playing in IPL matches held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. As documented in Outlook India’s IPL controversies feature, this was a result of political developments at both state and central levels related to alleged atrocities against ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Multiple franchises were forced to choose between fielding their Sri Lankan players at Chennai or leaving them out for those specific fixtures. The ban drew strong reaction from Sri Lanka’s cricket fraternity, including former captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who publicly urged Sri Lankan players to boycott the IPL. It was a moment that reminded the world that cricket in India exists within a larger political ecosystem that can override commercial decisions at a moment’s notice.
The IPL Has Evolved, But These Chapters Define It
These ten moments are not just footnotes. Each one forced structural change. The Lodha Committee overhauled BCCI governance entirely. The ICC clarified Laws of Cricket because of Mankading. The BCCI’s Anti-Corruption Unit became significantly more active after 2013. Furthermore, CSK’s return from its two-year ban and their immediately winning the title in 2018 became one of the greatest comeback stories in franchise sport history.
The IPL remains the most-watched cricket league in the world. However, understanding its controversies is what separates casual viewing from truly understanding the full story of this remarkable tournament.
Which of these controversies do you think had the biggest lasting impact on Indian cricket? For all IPL 2026 match previews, breaking news and deep analysis, follow CricThugs throughout the season.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
