Rayudu represented two teams in the IPL in his career.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has its fair share of contributing towards the success of many players and franchises. In its 18 years of existence, the league has ceased to slow down. Every year, India’s coveted tournament plays a crucial role in unearthing new talent, which has the potential to achieve great heights. Right from the playing field to the broadcasting and commentating, the league has shown tremendous growth in all aspects of the game. The social media boom has added to the glam of the tournament for sure.
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However, in a league as big as the IPL, controversies are a frequent occurrence. In a recent podcast, former cricketer Ambati Rayudu revealed one such incident that he was a part of. The incident took place after the season Finale of the 2024 edition. In the post-match discussion, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru player Kevin Pietersen called Rayudu by the name of a ‘Joker’ on-air. The incident quickly became the talk of the town because of the nature of what Pietersen orated. Rayudu cleared the air on the podcast and also provided an explanation for the same.
But, the former Indian cricketer did not hold back on giving a witty reply to Pietersen on the podcast. He expressed his happiness on RCB winning the title after 18 years of their existence. Furthermore, he pulled Pietersen’s leg for being with the franchise for many years and not being able to win the title with them. He stated that there was a lot Rayudu could have said at the time, but he chose not to. Later, Pietersen realised his mistake and also apologized for the same.
“We could also have said a lot to him [Pietersen], but we did not. He played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for two years, but did not win any title”, said Rayudu on the podcast.
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Controversies are an almost frequent occurence in the IPL. The league was initiated with eight teams to start with. However, the success of the tournament forced the think-tank to add a couple more teams in the mix. Ravichandran Ashwin’s mankading controversy was one of the most discussed talking points in the IPL. The incident took place in a match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Kings XI Punjab. Jos Buttler, then a Rajasthan Royals player was batting on tremendous form. While Ashwin was bowling, Buttler went out of the popping crease at the non-strikers’ end. Just as he did that, Ashwin had no hesitation to whip the bails at the non-striker’s end to initiate a run-out. This was one incident which sparked a lot of outrage.
Another incident occured in IPL 2013, which became a huge point of discussion. Yusuf Pathan because the first player in the history of the IPL to be given out ‘obstructing the field.’ The incident occurred in the match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Pune Warriors India (PWI). Yusuf Pathan hit the ball straight to the fielder, and went for the run. Everything was fine till here, but after this point, all hell broke loose. Pathan instinctively stopped the ball with his hand. The opposition appealed, and after carefully watching the incident, the third umpire ruled him out, obstructing the field. The decision sparked debates on whether his action was intentional or just a reflex action.
Such incidents keep happening in the game, which contribute towards a significant outrage. Rayudu’s battle with Kevin Pietersen was one which has nothing to do with bat and ball. But like the above mentioned controversies, there have been many which have disrupted the flow of the matches. Moreover, these days, with social media at the top of its game, it is very easy for the stakeholders of the game to have a say in everything that happens around the sport.
