Top 5 controversial cricketing moments in 2025

Cricket in 2025 was impossible to forget, not just for the great performances but for a handful of controversies that dominated headlines and forced boards, broadcasters and fans to ask harder questions about safety, politics and conduct. Below are the top five controversial moments of the year.

1. Chinnaswamy stampede, celebration turned tragic

What should have been a citywide outpouring of joy after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s long-awaited IPL triumph turned into one of the year’s darkest episodes. A felicitation event outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium saw massive crowds surge toward gates after reports of free passes and chaotic entry management, where 11 people died, and dozens were injured. 

The fallout was immediate as FIRs against RCB, the event organiser and local cricket authorities, resignations at the KSCA and court-ordered probes into crowd management. The incident forced hard conversations about how franchises, state associations and police plan public events and about the limits of spectacle in a sport that now runs giant live celebrations.

2. Asia Cup “no trophy” standoff

India’s 2025 Asia Cup win should have ended the tournament with routine smiles and a trophy lift. Instead, a boardroom standoff over presentation logistics and the ego of a certain leader led to a bizarre delay. 

The trophy remained in ACC custody in Dubai for weeks while officials hashed out protocol and travel arrangements. India’s players notably refused to accept the trophy from the ACC chief during the delayed presentation, turning an on-field win into an off-field diplomatic headache. The episode exposed how geopolitics and board squabbles can eclipse on-field achievement and how a single physical object can become a symbol of deeper interstate friction.

3. The “no handshake” flashpoint in India–Pakistan matches

Tensions between India and Pakistan have always run hot on the cricket field, but in 2025, several minor but repeated gestures, notably players skipping handshakes at tosses and after matches, fed into a larger narrative of mutual distrust. 

What might once have been shrugged off as nerves came to be read as deliberate slights, amplified by social media. The repeated lack of customary courtesies heightened an already fraught atmosphere, turning routine post-match formalities into stories about diplomatic tone and sportsmanship. 

4. Shukri Conrad’s “grovel” remark and the language debate

After South Africa’s tour of India, Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad said his side wanted to make India “grovel” — a word that carries heavy historical baggage in cricket and beyond. The comment sparked condemnations from former players and media in multiple countries, prompted clarifications and defensive interviews, and forced a larger conversation about the responsibilities of coaches and leaders. 

Even South Africa captain Temba Bavuma acknowledged the phrasing “had an unsavoury taste,” and Conrad later said he had not intended malice. The row underlined how a single throwaway line from a senior figure can derail post-series narratives and reopen old wounds about race, language and sporting insults.

5. Champions Trophy one-venue row

The Champions Trophy in 2025 was mired in controversy, not for on-field play but for logistics. Security concerns saw India play all its matches in Dubai rather than travel to Pakistan, giving the hosts a de facto single-venue advantage. 

Pundits and rival boards called it a “farce” and questioned the competitive fairness of a tournament where one team avoided travel and unfamiliar conditions. Critics argued the scheduling undermined the spirit of a multinational event while defenders pointed to security realities and player safety. The row raised persistent questions about how tournament formats should balance geopolitics and sporting equity.

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