To know what is the Fair Play award in IPL, one must be familiar with the rules of the game as well as the Spirit of Cricket. Simply put, the IPL fair play award is given to the team with the best record of following the rules of the game as well as living up to the spirit of cricket. The IPL 2022 finalists Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals were the joint-winners and shared the IPL 2022 Fair Play award.
It goes without saying that the Indian Premier League is the biggest cricket league in the world. Packing enthralling action, extravaganza, big moments, as well as plenty of exploding talents, the IPL attracts the eyeballs of the entire cricket world.
As a result, achievements and accomplishments hardly go unnoticed. Several individual awards like the Most Valuable Player, Orange Cap, and Purple Cap are given out to the players who had the biggest impact throughout the tournament. Of course, most people are familiar with these awards.
However, besides the main trophy that is handed out to the winners of the league, there is another major collective award that is presented every year in the IPL. This particular recognition, the IPL fair play award is not that familiar and often confuses people. Therefore, below, we’ll take a look at all the winners who have won the IPL fair play award as well as how it is decided.
What is the Fair Play award in IPL: Award winners over the years
| Season | Team |
| 2022 | Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals |
| 2021 | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2020 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2019 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 2018 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2017 | Gujarat Lions |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 2015 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2014 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2013 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2012 | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2009 | Kings XI Punjab |
| 2008 | Chennai Super Kings |
Known as the gentleman’s game, the spirit of cricket is an important concept and despite the sport’s nearly 120-year old history, most upholders of cricketing laws and organizations still try to play by those rules as much as possible. The Indian Premier League has also abided by that sentiment and has tried to promote and encourage goodwill and positive behaviour on the field between opponents.
Tempers often flare up during games where the intensity and stakes are unmatched and players can often lose their heads. However, they need to understand where to draw the line. Even with so many of the world’s players from different cultures and backgrounds coming together to slog it out for a few months in the IPL, the league has done well to maintain sanity and model behaviour. It does so by promoting fair play and award teams and individuals for the same.
The fair-play award is given out to the team that has the best on-field behavior throughout the whole season of the Indian Premier League. After every game, the two on-field umpires of the game and the third umpire give to the teams points for their behaviour. The points the umpires give to the sides on the basis of several factors like how they interact with opposition players, how honest they are on the field and other attributes.
The winner is then decided on the basis of which team has the most points. The team sitting at the top of the pile at the end of the season receives the IPL fair play award. Chennai Super Kings have won the most IPL fair play awards, winning it on six occasions. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have each won the fair play award twice in history.
Till date, only three teams have not been able to win the IPL Fair Play award. Delhi Capitals are first on that list. DC have not managed to win an IPL title as well so far and joining them are Royal Challengers Bangalore. Much like DC, RCB are yet to win their maiden IPL title.
Kolkata Knight Riders are two-time winners of the Indian Premier League, winning it in 2012 and 2014. They even finished as runners-up last season. However, they haven’t been able to win the IPL Fair Play award either.
What is Fair Play award in IPL: How are points given?
- A team can be awarded a total of ten points per match which are handed out by the on-field umpires and the third umpire.
- Out of those 10 points, four points are given on the basis of how a particular team has adhered to the “spirit of the game” in the opinion of the umpires.
- The other three criteria are based on respect towards to the opposition, the laws of cricket and the umpires, and each of these three criteria can fetch upto 2 points.
- If a team has received two points in a particular criterion, its performance is considered as “good”, whereas getting one or zero points indicates that its performance is “average” or “bad” respectively.
- The winner is decided on the basis of the points that they collectively receive throughout the season. However, the winner isn’t decided by the total number of points. It is decided on the basis of average rating per match as the total number of points received are divided by the number of games player in order to level the playing field among all.
IPL 2022 Fair Play award – Standings
| No | Team | Matches | Average | Points |
| 1 | Rajasthan Royals | 17 | 10 | 170 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans | 16 | 10 | 160 |
| 3 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 10 | 140 |
| 4 | Punjab Kings | 14 | 10 | 150 |
| 5 | Mumbai Indians | 14 | 9.93 | 139 |
| 6 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 9.86 | 138 |
| 7 | Lucknow Super Giants | 15 | 9.80 | 147 |
| 8 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 16 | 9.75 | 156 |
| 9 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 | 9.71 | 136 |
| 10 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 9.14 | 128 |
Gujarat Titans, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and Punjab Kings lead the standings this season and all four sides have a perfect average of 10 points per match this season. Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals are also involved in the playoffs, having qualified as the top two sides in the tournament. This just goes to show that a team doesn’t necessarily have to resort to the dark side in order to win consistently in the IPL.
However, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals have matches remaining in the IPL this season while Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings’ campaigns have come to an end. This means that there are chances of them either extending their lead or dropping points.
FAQs
Which team has won the most number of IPL Fair Play awards?
Chennai Super Kings have won the IPL Fair Play award more than any other side in the league history. They have received the award on six occasions so far.
Who won the first Fair Play award in the Indian Premier League?
The MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings won the Fair Play award in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2018.
Which teams have never won the IPL Fair Play award?
Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the IPL Fair Play award before.
What is the prize money allocated to the IPL Fair Play award winners?
The team which wins the IPL Fair Play award is given Rs 10 lakhs by the end of the season.
Which team won the Fair Play award in IPL 2021?
Rajasthan Royals won the Fair Play award in IPL 2021.
