The Indian Premier League (IPL), an extravagant T20 league that started in 2008 and became the talk of the town in no time. Since its inception, the franchise-based league has given a plethora of memories to the fans. Fans wait for IPL, the annual carnival, throughout the year wholeheartedly.
But amidst all the hustle and bustle, fans sometimes fall prey to fake beliefs and those become the center of the discussion. There have been multiple occasions where they have fallen prey to false rumours and myths over the last 14 years.
In this piece, we will talk about some of the myths on IPL that fans believe are true:
1. Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings did “match-fixing”
The Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals would like to vanish 2013 from their memories. The incidents that happened in 2013, made their image stained and till now they carry forward that past. In 2015, CSK and RR got banned for the next two years.
Their officials got banned for a lifetime, they can not take part in any matches conducted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Just because the teams were engaged in “fixing” fans often tend to think that the teams did “match-fixing”. While factually the teams were banned for betting and “spot-fixing” There is a thick line between “match-fixing” and “spot-fixing”.
Spot-fixing is done based on the current situation of the game, which means when the game is on. Spot-fixing is fixing various instances whereas match-fixing is done before the game. In match-fixing, the results are pre-decided by the players or the officials. Hence, the outcome of the match is pre-decided. RR won the inaugural title and Chennai Super Kings won the title thrice, in 2010 and 2011 and then in 2018.
2. Mumbai Indians tip off umpires
Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the IPL. They have won the title five times with their first title coming in 2013. Mumbai are currently the title defenders. However, many fans try to throw mud at their success and spread rumours that MI purchase umpires.
Such claims are not only false but also comical. Umpires’ errors are quite common and they happen quite often. After all, umpires are humans too. Except for some controversial errors, eg, MS Dhoni’s run out in 2019 and Steve Smith’s wide down the leg in IPL 2017, such errors are not visible in other games.
Besides, the fans should praise the hard work that Mumbai Indians put up every time. Having a skipper like Rohit Sharma who stands up for the players, their fielding, batting, and bowling have outclassed all the teams in the IPL. Hence, fans should applaud their achievements and not undermine them.
3. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Deccan Chargers are twins
Deccan Chargers was the team from Hyderabad that took part in the IPL from 2008 to 2012. The team won the title in 2009. But they went bankrupt in 2012 and Sunrisers Hyderabad got the chance to make their way. Replacing the Chargers in 2012, SRH debuted in 2013 and became the second team from Hyderabad.
SRH are owned by Sun TV Network and the Marans while Deccan Chargers were owned by Gayatri Reddy and Deccan Chronicles. After DC’s termination for their financial crisis, Sun TV Network won the bid with Rs 85.05 crore per year.
SRH struggled to pave their way in their initial three years. They had the captaincy conundrum to be sorted but in 2016, SRH won their maiden title. Since then SRH are the most consistent team and have not failed to make it to the playoffs.
4. Chris Morris is the highest-paid player
Chris Morris made a lot of noise after the IPL 2021 auction as his IPL salary jumped up to ₹16.25 crore. Rajasthan Royals went for the South African cricketer for a whopping amount.
However, the fans believe that he is the most salaried player in the IPL. Which is not true. He was the highest auctioned player. But Virat Kohli is the highest-paid player in the IPL. Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Kohli, their skipper, for ₹17 crores in 2018. Since then, he has earned that amount.
Kohli is the only player who has been with the same franchise since 2008. With the mega auction aligned next year, he might earn more money as RCB won’t bid him goodbye.
5. IPL is all fixed
A bunch of fans think IPL is just a showcase league. They believe IPL is scripted and has no authentication at all. This is the biggest myth that people believe. BCCI have the strongest law to keep the players and the officials away from fixing. For example, RR and CSK were banned for “spot-fixing”.
Every year, many domestic players wait for being picked up by any franchise. Even the foreign players show a lot of interest in IPL. This myth should be dismissed without thinking twice.