Five times when players were disrespected by Indian T20 League teams

The Indian T20 League is arguably the biggest T20 league in the world. Many players have stayed loyal to their teams right from the start. However, there are many instances where the teams have not shown the same affection for their players. Here are some of the instances when players were disrespected by their Indian T20 League teams.

David Warner and Hyderabad

David Warner, the title-winning captain of Hyderabad, had a rough finish to his tenure with the team in 2021. The opening batter was sacked as the team captain, and was dropped from the playing XI.  The team statement said that the Australian was dropped from the team to strike the right balance. As a result, he was not retained by the team in the following season. The Delhi-based franchise purchased him during the mega auction in the 2022 season.

MS Dhoni and Pune

MS Dhoni was removed as the team captain of the now-defunct Pune team following a disastrous season in 2016. The team wanted the young Steve Smith to lead the team in the 2017 season. Sanjiv Goenka, the franchise's owner, later disclosed in an interview about his bad experience working with MS Dhoni, emphasizing Dhoni's general behaviour as the team's skipper, as well as his unnecessary advice in non-cricketing matters.

Sourav Ganguly and Kolkata

Sourav Ganguly was dethroned as the team's captain in the second season after not doing well in the first, owing to coach John Buchanan's concept of multi-captaincy. However, before the start of the second season, John Buchanan was seen at a press conference struggling to explain how his idea was not followed due to Ganguly's poor captaincy. The theory wreaked havoc on the franchise, eventually leading to the team's worst-ever season.

Glenn McGrath and Delhi

Glenn McGrath was a key figure for Delhi during the 2008 edition. In 2009, the Indian speed contingent (Ashish Nehra, Pradeep Sangwan, and Aavishkar Salvi) regularly delivered for Delhi. Even Australia's Dirk Nannes was troubling batters with his speed and bounce, and was taking wickets with ease. As a result, McGrath barely made the starting XI in a match. Finally, Glenn McGrath's shocking omission caused Delhi to face harsh criticism from their fans.

Chris Gayle and Bangalore

Chris Gayle had given the Bangalore team many memorable performances and wins until the 2017 season. However, the tenth edition of the league wasn't really a great one for him. According to Gayle's statements, the franchise had guaranteed him his likely retention before the 2018 auction. However, on the auction day, the management put no bid on Chris Gayle's offering. Chris Gayle criticized management for giving misleading impressions prior to the auction.