5 Lies in IPL history you believed were true

The Indian Premier League (IPL) started in 2008 and has never looked back since then. It is the biggest T20 league in the world. Fans wait with all their heart for the IPL to commence every year.

Over the years, a lot of important incidents revolving around the IPL have occurred. While some of them were minor incidents to say the least, the others made headlines and are remembered even today. However, everything you hear about the IPL isn’t true.

There are a lot of myths regarding the IPL which people still think are true. As fans, we misunderstand a lot of information. So what are those facts about our beloved IPL which are actually false in nature? Let’s take a look at-

5 Lies in IPL history we believed to be true

1) Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned for match fixing

2013 is a year which the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) fans would like to forget. The incident which occurred in 2013 is one of the major reasons why their image remains tainted even today. In July 2015, CSK and RR were suspended from the IPL for two years for betting and Spot-fixing activities of their key officials Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra during the 2013 season.

Both the officials were banned for life from being involved in any cricket matches conducted by the BCCI. However, people still think that they were banned because of match-fixing or because they did “Fixing”. The fact remains that both the teams were banned due to betting and “Spot-fixing”.

An important point to be remembered is that match-fixing and Spot-fixing aren’t the same. Spot-fixing is when you defraud bookmakers by a player taking a pre-arranged action to fix the result of that specific event. Spot-fixing differs from match-fixing in which the final result of a match is fixed by players or officials.

2) Mumbai Indians won 5 trophies because of Umpires

Mumbai Indians (MI) are the most successful franchise in the history of the league. They have won the most number of titles in IPL history (i.e. 5). However, many people still think that they buy umpires and win their matches by forcing decisions in their favour with the help of umpires.

Such claims are not only false but funny in nature as well. Umpiring errors are a part of the game and it keeps happening in matches. At the end of the day, the umpire is a human being and is bound to make mistakes.

Besides, a few controversial decisions such as MS Dhoni’s run out in the 2019 final and Steve Smith’s wide down the leg side in the 2017 final were 50-50 and could have gone either ways. One must appreciate MI’s amazing achievements instead of finding excuses and undermining their victories.

3) Sunrises Hyderabad and Deccan Chargers are one and the same team

Deccan Chargers (DC) was the initial team from Hyderabad. They participated in the first 5 seasons of the IPL and even won the title in 2009. They went on to be replaced by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 6th edition of the league.

People often get confused and think both teams are one and the same, which is false. SRH replaced DC in 2012 and debuted in 2013. This franchise was taken over by Sun TV Network after the DC went bankrupt.

The team is owned by Sun TV Network. They won the bid with ₹85.05 crore (US$12 million) per year for a five-year deal, a week after the Chargers were terminated due to prolonged financial issues. Most of the players who played for DC in 2012 then went to SRH. SRH have never looked back since then and have been one of the most consistent teams. They even won the league in 2016.

4) Chris Morris is the highest paid IPL player

It is safe to say that Chris Morris has been one of the most bankable all-rounders in IPL history. His IPL salary saw a big jump this year as Rajasthan Royals(RR) purchased him for a whopping 16.25 crore in the IPL 2021 auction. However, he still isn’t the highest-paid player of IPL.

As a matter of fact, Virat Kohli is the highest-paid player. In 2018, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) retained Kohli for a whopping 17 crore. 2 crores more than the highest retention price.

Kohli is also the only player to play for the same franchise in every IPL season. He has been earning the same amount since then. With the mega auction coming next year, we might see Kohli ending up with a higher salary cap as RCB don’t seem in any mood to let go of him.

5) IPL is a fixed league:

This has to be the biggest myth ever. There is no way that one of the biggest leagues in the history of mankind is fixed. Every player playing the IPL gives his best and sweats it out in the scorching sun.

BCCI ensure that none of the IPL matches are fixed as they keep a close watch on all the IPL teams as well as their players. They monitor everything, right from where the players go to what they do. This ensures that the players don’t intentionally or unintentionally indulge in any sort of betting or fixing.

They have made it a point to enlighten every team about the corruption protocols. It would be childish to think that the IPL matches are fixed. This lie could feature in a “Top 10 lies you’ve ever heard” as well.