4 popular players who have been banned in IPL history

Rajgeeta Yadav

Players who have been banned in IPL [Source: AFP]Players who have been banned in IPL [Source: AFP]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest and richest cricket leagues in the world. Since it began in 2008, many players have become stars and earned huge fan followings. 

However, over the years, a few cricketers have also faced bans for breaking rules or being involved in controversies. 

Here are four well-known players who were banned from the IPL and the reasons behind their punishments.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja, now one of the biggest names in the IPL and a key player for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), faced an unexpected ban early in his career. Jadeja started his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and played for them in the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

In 2010, he was banned for the entire season because he tried to negotiate a deal with another team, reportedly Mumbai Indians, without informing Rajasthan Royals. At that time, players were not allowed to talk to other franchises on their own about contracts. 

The IPL Commissioner then, Lalit Modi, confirmed that Jadeja broke the rules by trying to secure a new deal secretly.

This ban came at a time when Jadeja was still new in international cricket, with only a few matches for India. The mistake cost him a whole season, but he eventually returned and became one of the most successful IPL players in history.

Steve Smith

Australian cricketer Steve Smith was banned from the IPL in 2018 due to the infamous ball-tampering scandal in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. Smith, who was set to captain Rajasthan Royals that year, was found guilty along with teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

Cricket Australia banned Smith for one year from international cricket, and the BCCI also banned him from playing in the 2018 IPL season. As a result, he had to skip the entire tournament. After serving his ban, Smith returned to the IPL in 2019. The incident remains one of the most talked-about cricket controversies in recent times.

Harbhajan Singh

In 2008, during the very first IPL season, India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was banned for the remaining matches after he slapped fellow Indian cricketer S. Sreesanth. The incident happened after a match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in Mohali.

Harbhajan, who was the stand-in captain for Mumbai Indians, slapped Sreesanth during the post-match handshake. Cameras captured Sreesanth crying afterward, and later video evidence showed the slap was unprovoked.

Harbhajan accepted his mistake, apologized to Sreesanth, and admitted that his behavior was completely wrong. Still, the IPL disciplinary committee banned him for the rest of the season.

Pravin Tambe

Pravin Tambe, a well-known Mumbai spinner, became the oldest player to be bought in an IPL auction when Kolkata Knight Riders picked him in 2019 at the age of 48. However, he was later banned from IPL 2020.

The reason was that Tambe had played in the T10 League in the UAE in 2018. According to BCCI rules, only retired players can participate in overseas leagues. Tambe had announced his retirement to play the T10 League but later reversed his retirement and returned to domestic cricket, which violated the rules.

Because of this, the IPL Governing Council disqualified him from the tournament.