IPL is by far the best cricketing league in the world. The worlds best compete against each other in a wonderful environment. The chemistry and camaraderie of international players are there for everyone to see. But make no mistake IPL is a fiercely competitive league. We have seen tempers flaring and players crossing the line in the heat of the moment. There have been instances when teams and the players haven’t been on the same page. This hasn’t made for great viewing at times and IPL teams disrespected players.
StumpsandBails listed out 5 instances when IPL teams disrespected players:
#5 KKR sacking Sourav Ganguly from captaincy (2009)
KKR had finished 6th under Sourav Ganguly in the first season. The team didn’t inspire any confidence in making the semis. This prompted KKR management and coach, John Buchanan to attempt a multi-captain theory. This theory not just appalled fans but also cricketing experts. They tried roping in McCullum as captain but the team eventually finished at the 8th spot. This made KKR bring back Ganguly as their captain in the 3rd season.
#4 Delhi benching Glenn McGrath for almost the entire season (2009)
Glenn McGrath was one of the most high-profile signings for Delhi Daredevils in 2008. He played a vital role in DD qualifying for the semis in the first season. But in the second season, it seemed as if McGrath had lost some of his bowling venoms. To make matters worse for him, Dirk Nannes proved to be quite a handful with his pace and left-arm angle. Hence DD had no other option but to bench McGrath. This did not go down well with the veteran and he made no bones about not willing to play the next season.
#3 RPS sacking MS Dhoni as captain (2017)
MS Dhoni was the obvious choice for captaincy when the Rising Pune Supergiant team acquired him in IPL 2016. But the Pune franchise finished a lowly 7th in the points table under Dhoni. This led to the franchise sacking Dhoni from captaincy ahead of IPL 2017. Sanjiv Goenka, the owner of RPS, was vocal about Dhoni’s omission and heaped praises on incoming captain Steve Smith. This move didn’t sit well with many Dhoni fans and they hated the franchise for this.
#2 RCB not retaining Chris Gayle (2018)
Chris Gayle arguably became the face of RCB when he was acquired mid-season in 2011. Gayle went on to play many match-winning knocks for the franchise. So despite having a mediocre IPL 2017, it was widely expected that RCB will retain Gayle in the mega auctions. But to everyone’s surprise and dismay, RCB didn’t make any effort to retain or acquire Gayle.
It was Preity Zinta’s KXIP that acquired Gayle. This did not go down well with the big-hitting Jamaican. After winning the player of the match award in a league match, Gayle expressed his displeasure in the presentation. He stated that the RCB management had assured him of retention but they did the exact opposite. To see the big man grunt over non-retention didn’t make for pleasant viewing.
#1 SRH removing David Warner from captaincy and later dropping him from the XI
SRH struggled to get going in IPL 2021. They had lost 5 out of their first 6 games. SRH kept losing games from winning positions. Their middle-order went from bad to worse. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan missed games owing to injuries. SRH dropped Manish Pandey for his strike rate and replaced him with a rookie like Virat Singh. He looked completely at sea in a place like IPL.
Warner was lost for words after losing the 5th game and he conceded that dropping Pandey was a harsh call from the management. His confession in the press conference admittedly didn’t sit well with SRH top brass and they immediately dropped Warner not just from captaincy but also from the playing XI. It was one of the darkest stories of IPL.
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