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The will to win the game for any player in a competitive tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL) is of paramount importance. It often drives them to do the unthinkable in crucial situations and lead the way to succeed in their objectives. In this pursuit, the controversial moments can often transpire in achieving their set goals.
On some occasions, the players may get involved in heated encounters with the opposition players. Moreover, the bad performances invite further controversies to break into the team as well. In this article, we will look at those 5 moments which created controversies this IPL season.
1. A wrong LBW decision against Virat Kohli
In Match 18 of IPL 2022 between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the latter chased down the target with nine balls to spare. However, the first ball of the penultimate over witnessed the youngster Dewald Brevis dismissing Virat Kohli LBW for a well-made 48.
Although it looked plumb to the naked eye, the former Indian captain immediately opted to take a review. The ultra-edge displayed simultaneous connection of ball with the bat and the pad, but with not enough evidence to overturn the decision, he was deemed out.
Kohli smashed his bat on the ground in distress as he made his way back to the dressing room. The social media and cricket fraternity went abuzz with their reactions to the dismissal.
2. Rishabh Pant loses temper after umpiring error
The most controversial moment in the season happened in Match 34 between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Delhi Capitals (DC). Chasing a target of 223, DC needed 36 off six balls to win the match. In the first two balls, the Caribbean batter Rovman Powell hit big sixes and was looking at his best in terms of ball-striking capabilities. The third ball of the over was a full toss, which clearly looked above the waist. However, the on-field umpires deemed it a fair delivery.
Capitals captain Rishabh Pant and the coaching staff were pumped up to urge the on-field umpires to take the help from the third umpire. With umpires refusing to refer the decision, Pant asked both Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to come back to the dugout.
With 18 needed off three, Powell could not connect due to the lost momentum and was dismissed in the last ball as well. The whole fiasco created a lot of buzz on social media and Pant was fined for his behaviour.
3. Riyan Parag- Harshal Patel spat
In Match 39 of the season, RR was up against the challenge of RCB. Although Bangalore did well to restrict the opposition batters, the youngster Riyan Parag (56* off 31) recovered the team from an early blow and provided a fine flourish for the team, helping them to post a respectable total of 144 on the board. In the last over of the innings, Parag hit two sixes against RCB’s key bowler.
From the video footage, it was seen that both the players got involved in a heated exchange, and the RR fielding coach Dishant Yagnik came in between to stop something bad from happening on the field. After the completion of the match, Patel refused to shake hands with Parag, and the video of the same went viral.
4. Unavailability of DRS
In a game between arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), an unexpected incident happened, which received flak from the cricket fans and the cricket fraternity as well. In the first over of CSK’s innings, opener Devon Conway was given out LBW by the on-field umpire. It looked as if the ball was going to miss the stumps, but the Kiwi batter could not use the Decision Review System (DRS) due to the power cut at the Wankhede stadium.
The backup power supply from the Mumbai Cricket Association helped the broadcasters to restore the DRS in the 3rd over. However, CSK also lost Robin Uthappa through an LBW dismissal in the previous over and could not get a chance to use the technology. The fans demanded the DRS to remain unavailable for the MI team as well in the second half.
5. Shreyas Iyer’s CEO remark
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had a strange season with the team getting highlighted due to them making the most changes to their Playing XI. After winning the first three of their four league matches, KKR sustained five losses on the trot and the key experienced players were dropped from the team. After the completion of the game against MI, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer was asked about five changes made to the team in the post-match presentation.
Iyer reckoned that “coach and at some times CEO is involved in the team selections.” This remark sparked a controversy, with the cricket fraternity expressing their thoughts and having debates as well. In a couple of days’ time, Iyer had to give an explanation to cover up the story and put the CEO in bright light.