The 11th edition of Indian Premier League or VIVO IPL 2018 is all set to kick off from April 7 onwards. The Indian T20 tournament, one of the greatest phenomenon to have struck this cricket crazy nation with its glitz, glamour and plethora of young and established stars of the game playing for the coveted trophy is also peppered with shocking controversies. Memories of former IPL Chief Lalit Modi and his unceremonious exit from the tournament, S Sreesanth-Harbhajan Singh slap gate and the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal that lead to two of the favourite teams, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) getting banned are fresh in the minds of cricket lovers. Every edition of IPL brings along with itself contentious issues that mar the beautiful game of cricket. These controversies not only draw the attention of the fans away from cricket but also contribute to the raging debate about the validity of IPL. Let us look at some of the hot potatoes the 2018 edition of the IPL has created even before the first ball of the new season being bowled.

Mohammed Shami and wife Hasin Jahan Domestic Saga Causing Troubles in Delhi Daredevils Camp

Mohammed Shami and his wife Hasin Jahan (Photo Credits: ANI)

When Mohammed Shami returned from a successful South Africa tour, little did he know about the troubles that lay in front of him. His wife Hasin Jahan has levelled the serious accusation of domestic abuse and adultery against him and has upped the ante in the past one month or so. To add to Shami’s woes she has been running from pillar to post to get the fast bowler debarred from the 2018 VIVO Indian Premier League. She met Delhi Daredevil’s CEO, Hemant Dua to ban their star bowler from featuring in IPL 2018. While Shami reportedly joined his team in their training camp, all is certainly not well for the Bengal pacer by the looks of things.

Steve Smith and David Warner Banned by BCCI from IPL

Steve Smith and David Warner (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Two of the biggest names of the cricket world, Smith and Warner were expected to lead their sides Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their quest for glory in the IPL 11 will now be missing in action thanks to their moment of madness. Both Steve Smith and David Warner, who were at the helm of affairs of the Australian team made up a plan to cheat their way to a win in the Cape Town Test against South Africa. An even bizarre press conference and admittance to charges of ball tampering meant they both were handed a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia (CA). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in accordance with the rule banned the duo since they will not have a NoC of their board and also might have brought curtains down on their IPL career. India’s Ajinkya Rahane replaced Steve Smith as Rajasthan’s captain while New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has replaced David Warner as Hyderabad’s skipper.

Dinesh Karthik’s admitting about his love for CSK

Dinesh Karthik is Kolkata Knight Riders Captain for IPL 2018 (Photo Credits: KKR/Facebook)

There has always been a serious rivalry between the Kolkata Night Riders (KKR) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as these sides have been constant performers in the IPL and see each other as a potential roadblock in the road to victory. With the new skipper of KKR admitting his desire to play for his home team CSK, the Kolkata fans must not have liked the note on which Karthik began his sojourn at KKR. Although quickly shifting his focus from CSK to KKR and the task at hand, the match between the two sides will now be even more under lens because of the KKR wicketkeeper-batsmen.

PIL seeking ban against IPL 2018 in Madras High Court

Image used for representational purpose only (Photo Credits: PTI)

IPS Officer G Sampathkumar’s PIL seeking a ban on IPL 2018 led to the Madras High Court sending notices to Union Home Ministry and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the backdrop of an absence of a serious mechanism to prevent match-fixing. The next date of hearing has been set to 13th of April. The petitioner happens to be the same person who exposed the 2013 spot-fixing and illegal betting scandal in IPL. It will be interesting to know the course the case takes as prevention of corruption in cricket cannot be used as an opportunity to completely bring a tournament to a halt.

Well, even before the start of the tournament the IPL 2018 has created quite a buzz owing to a lot off the field. We can certainly hope the talk is more about the events on the field when the IPL 2018 begins with the Chennai Super Kings taking on the Mumbai Indians on the 7th of April at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2018 08:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).