(Image source from: Was last night's match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals fixed?})

Last night's IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals is unlike anything the cricket league has witnessed before in its last seven years long history.

The incredible win for MI came under the most improbable of circumstances and under great pressure. It was nothing short of a crazy, roller coaster ride for both the teams and the audience. But as the match neared its absurdist end, an ugly question flared across many minds. Was the match fixed?

While, it might not be fair to call a match that will be remembered for ages to come, as fixed, but the recent revelations of fixing and the shifting attitude of the sports' power brokers doesn't negate the chances altogether.

If so, the BCCI and the IPL do their best to duck the issue. In IPL6,  there was not even a single mention of  fixing  on Sony during the tournament, despite the news making front page headlines in every newspaper in the country.

In contrast, when English player Ravi Bopara was asked about fixing on live television on the opening day of Natwest T20 Blast earlier this month, he said, "It's horrible when the fans are questioning everything that happens. As far as I know, everyone I've played with has played the game cleanly and we should do everything we can to keep the game clean. If there is any odd behaviour it should be reported. It can be drummed into county cricket a bit more just how important it is to report it. That is key."

Sadly, India's attitude to fixing rises from the top. Suspended BCCI president N Srinivasan ignored the IPL fixing scandal in the board's annual report, as if not mentioning it would make people forget all about it or lessen its impact.

A year after Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankit Chavan were arrested by the Delhi police on charges of fixing, none of them have been convicted yet. It could be because the board president himself is under the scanner for corruption – an investigation administered by the Supreme Court of India.

AW: Suchorita Choudhury