Franchisees need to keep fans emotionally invested in a franchise. If they fail to do that, they could run the risk of losing the long-term support of the fans. However, a few decisions in IPL history by franchises has gone against this thinking.
At various points in IPL, a few franchises have taken decisions that have hurt the fan’s emotions. There was widespread criticism of the decision, and like every other controversy in IPL, the reactions to the decision also tapered off. In this article, we take a look at five decisions in IPL history by franchises that hurt the fans emotionally.
1. RPS replacing MS Dhoni as the captain with Steve Smith
MS Dhoni is probably the greatest captain that India has seen. He is also a player who enjoys a massive fanbase. However, in IPL 2017, Rising Pune Supergiant decided to remove MSD as the captain and replaced him with Steve Smith. The subsequent comments by RPS’ owner also did not go down well with the fans. Dhoni was the reason that the franchise started to have a following. It looked slightly disrespectful that they replaced him as a captain although MSD did his best in IPL 2016. Ironically, a year later, MSD won yet another IPL trophy in 2018.
2. RCB releasing Rahul Dravid after IPL 2010
RCB are known to make decisions that baffle their fans. Back in 2010, they released Rahul Dravid before IPL 2011. It was understandable that he may not be worth the retainment amount, but shockingly, RCB never attempted to re-hire him at the auctions. Dravid is strongly associated with Bengaluru, and RCB fans were distraught at the decision. They felt that Dravid should have been part of the franchise as he was the reason many were following RCB. This was one of the decisions in IPL history that hurt the fans.
3. Sourav Ganguly being stripped off captaincy by KKR
Sourav Ganguly is one of the greatest cricketers to have come from West Bengal. Every Bengali is proud of his achievements with the Indian Team. However, KKR were too practical in their approach and in the process, did not take good care of Ganguly. He was stripped of the captaincy and was even dropped from the team on many occasions. The comments by the coaches were also not in good taste. Many staunch followers of KKR felt that this could have been avoided.
4. SRH stripping David Warner off captaincy mid-season
This is one of the recent decisions in IPL history that shocked the fans. David Warner has more association with SRH than any other local player. He led them to a trophy and was their best batsman. Yet, in IPL 2021, SRH dropped him and replaced him with Williamson as the captain of the franchise. It was considered a rude decision since Warner had only a few bad scores and deserved a longer rope.
5. Delhi releasing Sehwag before IPL 2014
Virender Sehwag was part of Delhi Daredevils for a few seasons. However, before IPL 2014, he was released from the franchise. Delhi did not have too many local cricketers who enjoyed a fanbase as big as Sehwag. Moreover, Sehwag was from Delhi and established a strong connection with fans. This was taken for a ride with the management’s decision.
