The Most popular league is always surrounded by questions and controversies and today we are going to uncover whether IPL is fixed.
The introduction
The most popular league in the history of cricket is on the way and yes you guessed it right, it is the IPL (Indian Premier League). The Biggest festival of cricket is here. if we look at the numbers it is the second most expensive league after the USA’s NFL.
- Brief overview of the IPL
Having matches in a structured format, where players of different countries will play together against each other and their selection is based on the auction. The team with the highest score on the points table will finally compete against each other. Last year, Chennai Super Kings won the 2023 IPL title and with this they became the second 5 times champions.
- Growing popularity and controversies surrounding the IPL
With growing popularity, the management is also thinking of increasing the number of matches. IPL 2024 will have 74 matches and the BCCI is planning to increase this number to more than 80. It clearly shows the popularity of the IPL. But with more and more popularity, IPL has been surrounded with more and more controversies and suspicions.
Pic Courtesy: India times
- Purpose of the blog: Investigating the authenticity of the IPL
So, the real question is whether IPL is fixed or not, well in this blog we are going to find the answer to this infamous question.
Rise of speculation
- Historical instances of match-fixing scandals in cricket.
Well, there are instances that actually fueled the speculations of match fixing, like in 2013 IPL, Delhi Police arrested Rajasthan Royals cricketers Ankit Chavan, Sreesanth, and Ajit Chandila in spot fixing case. However, they all were cleared of any charges by Patiala house High Court.
There is one more incident related to match fixing which banned 5 times IPL winning team CSK. In this case, Mumbai Police arrested Gurunath Meiyappan on charges of betting. He was the Team Principal of CSK at that time due to which CSK had to face the ban of 2 years and came back in 2018.
Rajasthan Royals also faced the ban of 2 years and came back in 2018.
- Impact of rumors on the league reputation
Although all the charges against the players were proven false , life for the players was very difficult for them after that. Life for Sreesanth after the ban was not good and have to prove himself not guilty for a long time, fighting a legal battle against BCCI to lift the ban from him. Though Kerala High Court lifted the ban and even the Supreme Court gave him a partial relief in 2019.
The life of Ajit Chandila also took a downshift after the life ban imposed by BCCI as he violated Article 2.1.1, 2.1.2, and 2.1.4 Anti-Corruption Code. However, the ban by BCCI was reduced to 7 years. But such incidents impact the overall career of the player.
The management and investigating committee after due examining the evidence found that all the allegations are absolutely false. Hence, all the charges should be taken back.
- Notable incidents that fueled suspicions
The IPL is not just a game that comes with excitement but it also comes with surprises that boost the adrenaline rush and also the suspicion that whether it is all scripted OR just pure luck.
For eg. Sudden injuries to a player during training while declared fit for the IPL and suddenly they recovered in their next match.
The inconsistent performance of the players in every match makes the public believe that IPL is fixed. For eg. If we look at the performance of the teams like RCB which played brilliantly well in IPL 2023 but still not able to qualify for finals.
The recent World Cup 2023 was won by Australia even though the whole Indian Cricket team played absolutely amazing in all 10 matches. So, such incidents fueled the suspicion in the audience’s mind.
- Match patterns and unexpected outcomes
We all know that players are brilliant and skillful. but what will happen when a player is playing well and suddenly the match turns around. Then there is a rise in suspicion among the audience.
for eg. In 2016, Match 53rd, Rising Pune v/s Kings XI Punjab, Punjab was very close to win but then MS Dhoni came to batting and turned the whole match himself and brutally batted against Axar Patel’s bowling.
Dhoni fans enjoyed it a lot but then some also said, “it is all scripted.” So was it?
Players’ behavior and unusual betting trends tend to bring audiences on the opposite side of the paradigm and question the credibility of IPL.
- Analyzing statistical anomalies.
Looking at the statistical
There are plenty of examples of having uncommon performances in the history of IPL. whether it is Mumbai indians amazing chase in 2014 playoff OR Sohail Tanvar’s epic 6 wickets for just 14 runs in 2008 IPL. IPL has seen many surprising performances that fueled excitement and suspicion.
Even Team strategies and selection is quite surprising. for eg. Kolkata’s most iconic strategy “horses for courses” under the captaincy of Gautam Gambhir. one more example of such is Mumbai Indian’s “floating batting orders” which make their team flexible to play under any circumstances.
Behind the scenes: IPL Governance
The
- Overview of IPL’s organizational structure
The
- Anti-Corruption measures and policies
The
- Transparency initiatives to maintain the league’s integrity
Expert’s Opinion
- Insights from cricket analysts and commentators.
- Perspectives from former players and coaches.
- Views of legal experts on match-fixing allegations
- Case Studies
- Examining specific incidents in IPL History.
- Outcomes of investigation and disciplinary actions
The committees have found the accused players and teams free of any charge and this is possible only after the quick action of the management.
If any player OR even the member of the franchise is found in such cases definitely, credibility is one of the things that comes under attack. When CSK and RR was banned for 2 years the players of the team had to go through a series of interrogation even though they were not involved. These types of cases put a big question mark on the credibility of players as well as the whole management. It is obvious because the BCCI is one of the richest boards and if they are not able to use this money in the surveillance and security of such an important league then where they are utilizing their money.
Addressing common Misconceptions
- Clarifying misconceptions about match fixing.
- Differentiations between speculations and proven cases
- Highlighting instances where suspicions were unfounded
IPL’s Response
- Actions taken by the IPL governing body in response to allegations.
BCCI is very strict on their policy when it comes to such allegations. We have already seen it in the case of Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Chavan.
Not just players but also on the team management like banning CSK and RR for 2 years because their team management was caught in such allegations.
- Continuous efforts to ensure fair play and maintain public trust
The management always puts efforts in ensuring fair play to build public trust. IPL has always been a thrilling game for the fans as they spend a lot of their time and effort.
- Collaboration with external agencies for oversight and monitoring
Conclusion
Although, all the allegations on the players have been found false but still impact can be witnessed on the players. However, in some cases we have seen that the team has come back after a span of years.
So, as an audience, we should not build any kind of perspective till the investigation is in process. We need to support our players and trust the evidence more than the notion that is building around the game and players.
A balanced perspective needs to be maintained in such sensitive cases. So that we can enjoy the game and also respect the ethnic part of it.
IPL is not merely a sports league, but it is the biggest cricket league in the world. This is why management is also very attentive and strict on such cases and issues. It is the audience because of which the IPL generates a huge sum of money every year. So we must support our team, players, and trust the agencies.
