Top 10 cricket controversies of the decade

#4 Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals get banned from the IPL

Chennai Super Kings were banned from the IPL in 2016 and 2017

The IPL has never been shy of controversy and those traits reached a crescendo during the 2013 and 2014 editions. Ankeet Chavan and S Sreesanth were alleged to have committed spot-fixing violations and they were subsequently banned from the sport. And, though the latter’ suspension was reduced to 7 years recently, the incident had much graver consequences for his team.

After further investigation, it was found that Gurunath Meiyappan and Raj Kundra, owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals respectively, were guilty of betting.

Consequently, both were banned from any cricketing activity whereas CSK and RR were also barred from taking part in the IPL in 2016 and 2017. Truly a dark day for Indian cricket.

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#3 Pakistan’s spot-fixing scandal at Lord’s in 2010

Amir bowled pre-planned no-balls at Lord's in 2010

At the turn of the decade, Pakistan had an embarrassment of riches on the fast bowling front. Yet, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif somehow thought that it was smart enough to put it all on the line for a few extra pounds.

The pair, choreographed by Salman Butt, the skipper for the tour, inexplicably bowled no-balls that exceeded the popping crease by at least a foot. It wasn’t a surprise that they were held accountable for their actions and slapped with a hefty ban.

Though Amir returned to play for Pakistan later in the decade, his inability to choose between right and wrong ultimately cost him a place in the legion of Pakistan’s fast-bowling greats.