'Slapgate' To KL Rahul-Sanjiv Goenka's Animated Chat: Top Controversies To Rock Indian Premier League

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the driving factors which has led to India establishing themselves as one of the biggest cricketing nations in the world. While the IPL has revolutionised cricket and brought in significant revenue, it has also faced controversies that have tainted its reputation. As the cash-rich league enters its 18th edition, let's recall some of the biggest controversies to have taken place in the league which had significant impact on the tournament.

If one is to talk about controversies, the first one that comes to mind is the 2013 spot fixing scandal. The most infamous controversy in IPL history occurred in 2013 when three players - Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan - were arrested for spot-fixing during the tournament. The players were allegedly involved in deliberately underperforming in specific parts of the match in exchange for money from bookmakers. In 2015, charges of spot-fixing and corruption against RR co-owner Raj Kundra and CSK team principal Gurunath Meiyappan were made. The two teams served a two-year suspension from the league and were replaced by Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant. The scandal also led to the suspension of these players for life by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) which was later reduced to seven years.

Sreesanth was not a stranger to the negative limelight as he was also on the receiving end of the infamous 'Slapgate' incident in the inaugural 2008 edition of the tournament. During a match between the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth got into a heated altercation which ended with the spinner slapping his national team compatriot. The incident caught the media's attention and sparked