Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the first season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. They were led by Shane Warne, a smart and talented captain. The team had no big stars. But they played like a unit. Fans loved their fighting spirit. They were called the underdogs. But after 2008, things started to go wrong.
By 2013, RR was caught in a big controversy. This led to a two-year ban from the IPL. Let’s find out why Rajasthan Royals was banned from IPL.
The Spot-Fixing Scandal
In May 2013, Delhi Police arrested three players from Rajasthan Royals. These players were S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan. They were accused of spot-fixing in IPL matches. Spot-fixing means doing something wrong on purpose during a game for money.
After the arrests, Rajasthan Royals suspended the players. Delhi Police said Chavan had accepted he was guilty. They also said Chandila tried to get other players to fix matches. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned all three players.
The Role of Raj Kundra
The scandal did not stop with the players. Police started looking at team owners too. Raj Kundra, a co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, was called for questioning. He told the police that he had placed bets on IPL games. Worse, he had bet on his own team.
Kundra said he was not aware that betting was illegal in India. But this defense did not work. The IPL banned Kundra from all cricket activities. Rajasthan Royals also said they would act against him if he was found guilty.
Supreme Court Steps In
The issue became big. The Supreme Court of India took note. In 2013, it formed a panel called the Mukul Mudgal Committee. This panel investigated the scandal. In 2014, they submitted a report to the court. The details of the report were not made public.
Later, in 2015, the Supreme Court formed another panel. This was led by Justice RM Lodha. The Lodha Committee gave a major decision. It banned both Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings for two years.
Why Was RR Banned?
The Lodha Committee said the ban was for bringing the game into disrepute. It made strong comments about Raj Kundra’s actions. He was both a co-owner and a team official. This meant his betting hurt the image of IPL, BCCI, and the sport.
The report also pointed to poor team management. Three players from the same team were involved in fixing. The committee said this showed weak internal control.
Rajasthan Royals claimed they were known for nurturing talent. But the scandal showed something was wrong. The committee did not accept Kundra’s excuse that he was a UK citizen and unaware of Indian laws. They said, if he truly loved the game, he would not have placed bets.
The Aftermath
The ban hit Rajasthan Royals hard. They lost almost ₹70 crore in sponsorship money. But more than money, they lost their brand value. The team could not play in IPL for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. They returned in 2018 but failed to perform well. They missed the playoffs in many seasons.
Raj Kundra, after the ban, said he was shocked and disappointed. But the damage was already done.
Conclusion
Rajasthan Royals was banned because of a serious betting and spot-fixing scandal. The involvement of players and a team co-owner caused major harm. The Supreme Court acted strongly to protect the game’s image. Though RR came back, the stain on their past remains.
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