3 Selfish acts in the history of IPL

With the evolution of T20 cricket, one thing that the sport has witnessed is the great presence of fighting spirit among the players. It could well be due to the fast-paced environment and the intensity of the shortest format which keep them on their toes every time they take to field.

The same has transferred into the other formats as well as Test cricket nowadays are likely to end with a result more than ever. Thus in modern cricket one expects winning spirit and a selfless approach from every player.

But not every day is the same and there have been some instances in today’s games as well when players have kept aside their selflessness and the fighting spirit and let their selfish side take control over them. In the following lines, we take a look at three such incidents that have happened in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in recent times.

1. Ravichandran Ashwin mankading Jos Buttler

The first on the list has to be the then Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin’s mankading of Rajasthan Royals batsman, Jos Buttler, during the 2019 edition of the IPL. The incident led to one of the most-talked-about controversies of cricket in recent times.

Buttler was hammering the Punjab bowlers all over the ground and looked threatening enough to take the match away from them. But on the other hand, Ashwin, who is considered as a highly street-smart player, had already noticed Buttler going out of the crease a few times at the non-striker’s end and did not hesitate to take the bails down when he finally got the chance.

It created a major furore at the middle with the English wicketkeeper-batsman finding it hard to believe what Ashwin did to him. However, what Ashwin did was nothing against the law and Buttler had to leave the field. But many former cricketers and pundits called it against the spirit of the game and tagged the incident as a selfish one.

2. KL Rahul’s slow innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Though KL Rahul finished as the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2019, his performances were not of the free-flowing kind that one associates with KL Rahul. He was accused of ignoring the team’s interest and focusing on his own goal of getting a place in the national team for the World Cup.

In a match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab were chasing a mammoth total of 214. With opener Chris Gayle gone in the third over, most of the responsibility fell on Rahul’s shoulder. But instead of playing according to the required rate, Rahul played almost a run-a-ball innings till his 40s.

With more than 100 runs required in the last seven overs, he got hold of the situation and flexed his arms and smashed 40 runs in the next 20 balls. But it was too late as Punjab failed to cross the line and were eventually resisted for 167 as many questioned Rahul’s slow approach at the beginning.

3. Unlikely David Warner against Delhi Capitals

Not many will expect David Warner being on this list given he is one of the most fighting characters on the field who wants to win at any cost. He also had a brilliant IPL in 2019 and ended the tournament as the highest run-scorer.

But against the Delhi Capitals, it was one of the off days that every cricketer is bound to have. Chasing a modest total of 156, Warner failed to see his team through. Despite playing for almost 17 overs he never looked to be in his usual self and played a slow inning with a strike rate of just 100.

He scored 51 off 47 balls and never looked to accelerate, while batsmen at the other end struggled and gave away their wickets. The Australian batsman would surely have regretted his outing that day but as one of the senior players, he had failed his team with his slow innings.