Top 5 selfless acts in Indian Premier League (IPL) history

Decision-making has been an important aspect of the game of cricket over the years. At times teams have had to move out of the ordinary for their well-being in the long run. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a witness to some jaw-dropping actions on the field. It’s a massive tournament, where there’s a lot of action happening behind the scenes attributing to the production on the cricket field. Amidst all the strategizing, some of the big names in the T20 league has had to take some tough calls, a few of them surrounding themselves. These cricketers have parked aside their ego and pride, and kept the teams on top of their priority list. While some of the decisions didn’t quite result in success, the players were lauded for taking a backseat, away from the limelight for the greater good of their sides. In the article, let’s have a look at five selfless acts in the IPL Gautam Gambhir stepping down as Delhi skipper and taking no salary Gautam Gambhir of Delhi Daredevils. (Photo Source: Twitter) After an excellent stint for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gautam Gambhir was expected to turn around the wretched fortunes of Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals. The southpaw was brought in the 2018 auction at INR 2.80 crore and was made the skipper. But he ended up having a torrid time. Gambhir could only manage a solitary win in the first six games. His form with the bat was also poor. The Delhi-born started with a 55 versus Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and could manage 30 in his next four innings. Following the messed-up season, Gambhir decided to step down as the skipper and Shreyas Iyer was given the mantle. Once he gave up captaincy, he never got a chance in the eleven. Later, it was known that he won’t be taking any salary from the Delhi team and would be playing for free. Rohit Sharma coming in middle order to promote Suryakumar Yadav MI captain Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Twitter) In the 2018 auction, Mumbai Indians (MI) roped in Suryakumar Yadav at INR 3.20 crores. Surya batted in the middle-order for the Knight Riders, but got a new role in the Mumbai setup. The right-hander was asked to open the batting and the move worked wonders for the IPL side. Albeit the team failed to qualify beyond the league stages, Yadav ended with 512 runs at an average of 36.57. Yadav opening the batting meant that, Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai captain, moved to the middle-order. Rohit is a quality opener, but has hardly tasted success in the middle. Even as it clicked from Surya’s perspective, Sharma’s own form went downhill. In 14 games, the 32-year-old managed only 286 runs at an average of 23.83 and finished 23rd in the list of leading run-scorers in the 2018 IPL. Ricky Ponting stepping down as Mumbai skipper in middle of the 2013 season Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Twitter) Ricky Ponting played four games for KKR in 2008 and then came back to the IPL in 2013. MI got his services in the auction at a price of INR 2.12 crore. He replaced Harbhajan Singh as the skipper of the franchise. However, he couldn’t quite live up to the expectations as he could only manage 52 runs at 10.40. In that edition, Ponting stepped down as the skipper and Rohit was appointed for the role. It changed the complexion of MI’s cricket as they went on to win the championship. Rohit scored 538 runs that season and it rubbed off positively on the team. Sharma didn’t turn out to be a one-season-wonder as the Mumbai franchise won the 2015, 2017 and 2019 IPL as well. Rohit has made MI the most successful team in the championship. In 2014, Ponting became the head coach of MI. Shane Watson batting with a bloodied knee in the IPL 2019 final Shane Watson. (Photo: IANS) Shane Watson scored 80 of the 150 runs that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) needed to win the 2019 IPL final versus the Mumbai team. However, it wasn’t enough as CSK, led by MS Dhoni, fell short by one run in the humdinger of a final. Watson played until the last over and couldn’t take his team over the line. Meanwhile, there was a revelation that came to the fore after the cliff-hanger. It was learned that Watson batted with his knee, bleeding profusely. Harbhajan Singh, who played for the Super Kings, posted a picture on Instagram to put forth the same. The veteran Watson got injured while diving, yet continued to bat. Later after the encounter in Hyderabad, he got six stitches. Watson had a reasonable outing last season as he scored 398 runs at 23.41 with a top score of 96 versus SRH. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara dropping himself in 2012 against Mumbai Indians Kumar Sangakkara and Cameron White. (Photo Source: Twitter) Back in 2012, Kumar Sangakkara, the legendary Sri Lanka batsman, represented the now-defunct Deccan Chargers. The Islander had a mediocre season, both as the skipper and batsman. The left-hander could only manage 200 runs at an average of 18.18. To add insult to injury, the Chargers finished eighth on the points table. In the meantime, during the tournament, Sangakkara took a tough call. In the match against Mumbai at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, he decided to bench himself and Cameron White took over. Unfortunately, the decision didn’t work out as the visitors lost by five wickets after being bowled out for 100. In the press conference, White hailed Sangakkara’s move as a ‘selfless’ one and said that it was in consultation with Chargers’ head coach Darren Lehmann.

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Top 5 selfless acts in Indian Premier League (IPL) history

These players kept their teams on top of their priority list.

Ricky Ponting stepping down as Mumbai skipper in middle of the 2013 season

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