In 2012, an India TV sting operation shook Madhya Pradesh cricket. After a fairly satisfactory season, where they reached the quarterfinal before losing to Mumbai, it was revealed that TP Sudhindra and Mohnish Mishra had agreed to spot-fix Indian Premier League (IPL) and domestic games.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) slapped Sudhindra with a life ban while Mishra was suspended for a year. Sudhindra had ended the season as the highest wicket-taker while Mishra carried the batting responsibility on his shoulders and emerged as the second-highest run-getter for his team. MP lost two of their most valuable players and were forced to rebuild again.

Forced back to square one, the team responded by playing some really good cricket but were undone by a spirited Zaheer Khan performance. Needing a win to qualify for the knockout stages, MP