Rahul Jethalal
In cricket, "fair play" means playing within the Laws and also within the Spirit of Cricket: respect for opponents, team-mates and umpires. The ICC puts the Spirit of Cricket at the front of its playing conditions. The IPL rewards it each season with its Fair Play Award, won by Punjab Kings in 2026. The Women's Premier League (WPL) has one too, won by Mumbai Indians in 2026.
What the Spirit of Cricket says
The ICC playing conditions, such as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions, open with a preamble called "The Spirit of Cricket". It says cricket should be played "not only according to the Laws" but also within that spirit. The major responsibility for fair play rests with the captains, but it extends to all players and match officials, and, in junior cricket, to teachers, coaches and parents.
Respect is central to the Spirit of Cricket.
The preamble then lists what that respect looks like:
- Respect your captain, team-mates, opponents and the authority of the umpires.
- Play hard and play fair.
- Accept the umpire's decision.
- Create a positive atmosphere by your own conduct, and encourage others to do the same.
- Show self-discipline, even when things go against you.
- Congratulate the opposition on their successes, and enjoy those of your own team.
- Thank the officials and your opponents at the end of the match, whatever the result.
What counts as unfair play
The Spirit of Cricket is not just advice. Clause 41 of the playing conditions, "Unfair Play", makes the captains responsible for keeping play within the Spirit of Cricket and makes the umpires the sole judges of fair and unfair play. The clause covers, among other things:
| Unfair play | Clause |
|---|---|
| Changing the condition of the ball | 41.3 |
| Deliberately trying to distract the striker | 41.4 |
| Deliberately distracting, deceiving or obstructing a batter | 41.5 |
| Dangerous or unfair short-pitched deliveries, and full tosses above waist height | 41.6, 41.7 |
| Bowling a deliberate front-foot no-ball | 41.8 |
| Wasting time, by the fielding side or by a batter | 41.9, 41.10 |
| Damaging the pitch, or running on its protected area | 41.11 to 41.15 |
| Batters trying to "steal" a run while the bowler runs in | 41.16 |
For an unfair action that no other rule covers, the umpires follow a set procedure. A first offence brings a first and final warning to the captain, which applies to the whole team for the rest of the match. Any further offence by that team gives 5 penalty runs to the other side. The umpires can also report the player to the ICC match referee.
What is the Fair Play Award?
The Fair Play Award is a team award for sportsmanship, not for results. It goes to the side that played the season most within the Spirit of Cricket, as scored by the umpires after every match. A team can finish low in the points table and still win it.
The Indian Premier League has given a Fair Play Award since its first season in 2008. The WPL has given one since its first season in 2023, according to cricketgully.
How the IPL Fair Play Award is decided
After each match, the two on-field umpires and the third umpire give both teams points in four areas, according to Sporting News and CricTracker:
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Spirit of the game | 4 |
| Respect for the opposition | 2 |
| Respect for the Laws of cricket | 2 |
| Respect for the umpires | 2 |
That makes 10 points the most a team can get from one match. Teams play different numbers of matches once the playoffs start, so published tables rank them by average points per match, not total points.
IPL 2026 Fair Play table
This is CricTracker's final table for 2026, last updated on 31 May 2026. The averages are points divided by matches.
| Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punjab Kings | 14 | 140 | 10.00 |
| 2 | Gujarat Titans | 17 | 169 | 9.94 |
| 3 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 | 138 | 9.86 |
| 4 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 14 | 138 | 9.86 |
| 5 | Lucknow Super Giants | 14 | 138 | 9.86 |
| 6 | Rajasthan Royals | 16 | 157 | 9.81 |
| 7 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 15 | 145 | 9.67 |
| 8 | Mumbai Indians | 14 | 135 | 9.64 |
| 9 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 16 | 150 | 9.38 |
| 10 | Delhi Capitals | 14 | 130 | 9.29 |
Gujarat Titans had the most points (169), but Punjab Kings won the 2026 award because they averaged the full 10 points in every match. Chennai, Kolkata and Lucknow finished level on 138 points from 14 matches; CricTracker lists them in the order shown.
Every IPL Fair Play Award winner
| Season | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2009 | Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2012 | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2013 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2014 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2015 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2016 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 2017 | Gujarat Lions |
| 2018 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2019 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 2020 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2021 | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2022 | Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans (shared) |
| 2023 | Delhi Capitals |
| 2024 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 2025 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2026 | Punjab Kings |
Punjab Kings' 2026 award, under Shreyas Iyer, was their first since 2009.
How many Fair Play Awards each IPL team has won
Counted from the winners list above, up to and including 2026. A shared award counts for both teams.
| Team | Awards | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 7 | 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2025 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 3 | 2016, 2019, 2024 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 3 | 2012, 2021, 2022 (shared) |
| Punjab Kings | 2 | 2009 (as Kings XI Punjab), 2026 |
| Mumbai Indians | 2 | 2018, 2020 |
| Gujarat Titans | 1 | 2022 (shared) |
| Delhi Capitals | 1 | 2023 |
| Gujarat Lions | 1 | 2017 (the team no longer plays) |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 0 | – |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 0 | – |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 0 | – |
- Who won the IPL 2026 Fair Play Award? Punjab Kings, with the full 10 points in every match (140 from 14), according to CricTracker's final table above.
- Who won the IPL 2023 Fair Play Award? Delhi Capitals, their only IPL Fair Play Award so far.
- How many Fair Play Awards have CSK won? Seven, a record: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2025.
- How many Fair Play Awards have RCB won? None in the IPL up to 2026. RCB's women's team won the WPL Fair Play Award in 2024 (see below).
- How many Fair Play Awards have MI won? Two in the IPL (2018 and 2020), and two in the WPL (2023, shared, and 2026).
The WPL Fair Play Award
| Season | Winner | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals (shared) | MyKhel |
| 2024 | Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Hindustan Times |
| 2025 | Gujarat Giants | Sportstar |
| 2026 | Mumbai Indians | Sportstar |
The WPL award carried prize money of Rs 5 lakh in 2024, 2025 and 2026, according to those reports.
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Sources
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions: Preamble (The Spirit of Cricket) and clause 41 (Unfair Play); ICC: Playing Conditions; Sporting News: What is the Fairplay Award in IPL?; CricTracker: IPL Fair Play Award winners list, 2008 to 2026, and 2026 table; cricketgully: What is the Fair Play Award in IPL and WPL?; MyKhel: WPL 2023 award winners; Hindustan Times: WPL 2024 full list of awards; Sportstar: WPL 2025 award winners; Sportstar: WPL 2026 award winners
This article was written by the FairPlay Editorial Desk with AI assistance, using the sources listed above. It was reviewed by Ajit Mohan Yadav and Rahul Jethalal of the FairPlay editorial team before publication. To report an error, see our Editorial Policy.
