In modern-day cricket, with high stakes and much higher egos, more often than not we see players crossing the line and getting involved in verbal spats. And when it comes to all-field altercations, the Indian Premier League (IPL) definitely has its fair share of controversies.
Apart from all the glitz and glamour that the cash-rich league promises, it has also witnessed many incidents, involving some of the most respected figures, over the years that make it one of the hot beds for on-field clashes.
We take a look at ten famous instances when tensions soared over on the field of play, resulting in fines and sanctions.
1.Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth - 2008
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SlapGate rocked the IPL in its inaugural edition! The ungentlemanly conduct happened between former India pacer S Sreesanth and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Sreesanth, playing for Kings XI Punjab at that time, and Harbhajan, competing for Mumbai Indians, faced off after the game in an alteraction that left the aggressive pacer in tears. It was widely reported that the senior offie slapped the Kerala pacer after he took a dig at the former following Mumbai Indians' loss. Harbhajan was banned for the rest of the tournament, while Sreesanth was let off with a warning after disciplinary proceedings.
2.Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly - 2008
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Australian legend Shane Warne and former India captain Sourav Ganguly faced off in the inaugural season, making it one of the most-talked about incidents of the IPL. Ganguly, who was then the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, was caught by Rajasthan Royals' Graeme Smith at deep mid-wicket. However, Ganguly thought the catch was not clean and forced the umpires to go for a review. The third umpire gave the decision in Ganguly's favour, but a fuming Shane Warne got engaged in a heated argument with Ganguly.
3.Munaf Patel and Amit Mishra - 2011
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The incident happened when Amit Mishra, appearing for the Deccan Chargers, hit consecutive boundaries on the third and fourth deliveries of the final over bowled by Mumbai Indians pacer Munaf Patel, prompting the bowler to lose his temper. The two exchanged words. More drama followed as on the fifth delivery, the two India teammates collided and the umpires had to intervene. Even Sachin Tendulkar had a word with an animated Munaf, who was not budging.
4.Ambati Rayudu and Harshal Patel - 2012
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The incident took place when Mumbai Indians batsman Ambati Rayudu, while celebrating his team's five-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, allegedly passed some comments on bowler Harshal Patel that enraged the tall medium pacer who tried to charge menacingly at the Mumbai batsman before his captain Virat Kohli stopped him. While Rayudu was fined 100 per cent of his match fee, Patel was reprimanded and fined 25 per cent of his earnings.
5.Kieron Pollard and Shane Watson - 2013
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Mumbai Indians hot-head Pollard came head-to-head with Shane Watson in a match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals in the sixth edition of the IPL. The West Indian mocked Watson as soon as the Australian came in to bat. Both the players were got engaged in a war of words and things calmed down only after the intervention of the umpires and captain Rohit Sharma.
6.Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir - 2013
© India Today
It is a well known fact that both Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are temperamental cricketers who often let their emotions control their actions. This incident, which dates back to 2013, occurred when Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Kohli was caught trying to hit his third six off Kolkata Knight Riders' Pradeep Sangwan. Soon the entire KKR camp burst out into exuberant celebration that ruffled Kohli, who launched a mouthful of expletives. Not to be left behind, KKR captain Gambhir too confronted Kohli with the choicest of words. The incident caught everyone by surprise and it was their Delhi state teammate Rajat Bhatia, who intervened between the two.
7.Manvinder Bisla and Gautam Gambhir's spat with Rahul Dravid - 2013
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It is probably of the rare instance involving Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid, who is known for his calm composure. The incident took place during the 2013 edition of IPL when KKR batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Manvinder Bisla had a go at Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid. It sparked off after Rajasthan bowler Shane Watson said a few words to Bisla after being hit for two boundaries. Bisla went to Dravid to went out his anger and was joined by Gambhir.
8.Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc - 2014
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It seems that destructive West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has a special place in his heart for the Australians. This incident happened in the 7th edition of the league when Bangalore pacer Mitchell Starc bowled a bouncer at Mumbai Indians batsman Pollard, who was beaten for pace. Starc went up to the tall West Indian and exchanged a few words even as Pollard waved him off. As Starc ran in to bowl the next ball, Pollard pulled out of the delivery just as the bowler was approaching his jump. Starc did not abort the delivery and instead he followed the batsman and bowled the ball in anger close to Pollard's legs. Pollard responded by throwing his bat at Starc. Both players were visibly angry and continued to exchange words. Both of them were fined.
9.Kieron Pollard's tape on mouth act - 2014
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In a bizarre incident in IPL 2014, Mumbai all-rounder Pollard put on duct-tape on his mouth after the umpires rapped him for his on-field interaction with fellow West Indian Chris Gayle, who was appearing for Bangalore. However, Pollard's act brought smiles on the faces of his Mumbai teammates and coaching staff. Pollard later clarified that it was just for fun!
10.Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu - 2016
© India Today
The latest addition to the long list is an ugly spat between Mumbai Indians teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu that happened in Match 29 of the ongoing ninth edition of the league. In the 11th over of the Pune Supergiants innings, Rayudu failed to stop a boundary hit by Saurabh Tiwary off Harbhajan despite a desperate dive near the boundary rope. Harbhajan, who was not happy with Rayudu's efforts, charged at his teammate with abuses which sparked the altercation between the two players. Rayudu too gave it back and was seen moving towards his senior.
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