The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. The game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore recently witnessed some flares and fights between the players, with Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, and Naveen Ul-haq being the main culprits. However, it is important to note that there have been some fair-play moments in the IPL as well. In this blog, we will discuss the top 3 fair play moments in IPL history. We will also discuss the Fairplay Award at the IPL.

Ben Stokes (IPL 2017)

During the 2018 season of the Indian Premier League, the Sunrisers Hyderabad played against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. After winning the toss, the Sunrisers chose to bat first and lost Shikhar Dhawan early on in the innings. However, Alex Hales and Kane Williamson stabilized the innings quite well.

In the ninth over, Ish Sodhi was bowling to Hales when the latter attempted to hit the ball towards the midwicket boundary but was caught by Ben Stokes instead. Although Stokes made an impressive effort, Hales was initially given not out. Stokes immediately suggested that he had dropped the catch and that Hales should not be given out. Stokes, who would later become England's hero in the 2019 World Cup, acted with sportsmanship and integrity.

Hashim Amla (IPL 2017)

In an IPL 2017 match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the Kings XI Punjab team lost the toss and was asked to bat first against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. They managed to score 138/7, and one of the most significant moments of that inning was when Hashim Amla was dismissed by Aniket Choudhary.

In the very first over of the match, Amla got an edge off Choudhary's delivery, but neither the umpire nor the fielding team noticed it. As Amla began walking back, the fielders and umpire realised what had happened, and the umpire raised his finger, signalling Amla's dismissal.

Amla's sportsmanship was widely appreciated on social media, as it is not uncommon for players to try to deceive the umpires and the opposition in today's high-stakes cricket matches.

David Warner (IPL 2017)

The IPL 2017 home match of Sunrisers Hyderabad was marked by a memorable moment created by David Warner. During the match, when the score was 88/1, Basil Thampi bowled a straight delivery that Moises Henriques drove past the bowler. However, Thampi lost his shoe while trying to stop the ball.

David Warner, who was on the field at that moment, quickly picked up Thampi's shoe and handed it over to him before completing a single. The Hyderabad crowd cheered thunderously in response to this gesture.

This moment created by Warner will always be remembered as a display of good sportsmanship and camaraderie between the two teams.

IPL Fairplay Award: What is it?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always promoted fair play and sportsmanship in the game. To recognize and reward players who uphold these values, the IPL Fairplay Awards were introduced. The awards are presented to the team that has displayed the best conduct on the field throughout the tournament. The teams are evaluated based on various criteria such as playing within the spirit of the game, respect for the opposition, and upholding the umpire's decision. The team with the highest fair play points at the end of the tournament is awarded the IPL Fairplay trophy. Chennai Super Kings have won the IPL Fairplay award the most number of times, having been awarded the trophy six times in total. I guess having Captain Cool as your Captain pays some dividends, right?