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The IPL 2024 mega auction is just around the corner, and fans are eager to see which players will go to which teams. The IPL auction is full of surprises, big bids, and sometimes controversies. Over the years, many moments have shocked fans and players, some mistakes were made,leading to the bidding wars getting more intense. We have prepared a list of the top five biggest IPL auction controversies over the years.
Five biggest IPL auction controversies
RCB and KKR fight over Yuvraj Singh (2014)
In the 2014 IPL auction, RCB and KKR fought for Yuvraj Singh. RCB thought they won the bid at INR 10 Crore, but KKR claimed they had bid more, which was missed. After a quick talk, the auction continued and RCB had to pay INR 14 Crore for the then Indian all-rounder. RCB took the matter to the IPL Governing Council, but the issue stayed in the news.
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Andrew Flintoff sold to CSK (2009)
In 2009, Andrew Flintoff became the highest-paid player in the auction, bagging INR 9.8 Crore. Controversy arose when former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi said he was pressured to fix the auction to send Flintoff to Chennai Super Kings. Modi admitted the mistake, but Srinivasan denied the claims, saying they were not true. This caused debate about how fair the auction was.
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Kieron Pollard's secret tie-breaker (2010)
In 2010, Kieron Pollard became popular among teams. Four teams bid INR 6 Crore for him. To decide who would get him, the auctioneer used a secret tie-breaker rule. Mumbai Indians won, but no one knows how much they paid exactly. This made the 2010 IPL auction memorable.
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Charu Sharma's auction mistake (2022)
In the 2022 IPL auction, Charu Sharma made a mistake when Khaleel Ahmed's bid reached INR 5.5 Crore. SRH raised their paddle, but Charu mistakenly sold him to DC. This caused confusion, and DC got the player they wanted. The mistake led to criticism, but it also added an interesting twist to the auction.
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Shashank Singh's 'mistaken' pick (2024)
In the 2024 IPL auction, Punjab Kings made a mistake by picking the wrong Shashank Singh. They wanted the 19-year-old batter but ended up with the 32-year-old from Chhattisgarh. The mistake couldn't be fixed, but Shashank proved his value by scoring 21 runs from eight balls in his first match against RCB. This showed that the mistake didn’t hurt the team much.
