Top 10 Most Hated Cricketers of All Time

We all know that cricket is a game of passion. It's not just about the sixes, the wickets, or the nail-biting finishes. It's also about the personalities that stride onto the pitch, bat and ball in hand. Some cricketers are universally loved, hailed as heroes both on and off the field. But then, there are those who, for various reasons, tend to ruffle feathers and stir up controversy.

Let's face it, the world of cricket has seen its fair share of infamous figures. These are the players who, due to their on-field antics, off-field behavior, or maybe even their cricketing style, have attracted a significant amount of dislike from fans and fellow cricketers alike. It might be because of a particular incident, a history of bad behavior, or just their overall attitude that rubs people the wrong way.

So, who are the most hated cricketers of all time? Perhaps it's a player who's known for their on-field tantrums, or maybe it's someone who's been embroiled in a major scandal. Whichever player it is, if they've left a sour taste in your mouth, this is the place to let your voice be heard. Remember, this list isn't about player performance or skill. It's about the players who, for one reason or another, have earned the ire of the cricketing world.

1. Virat Kohli

   

   Virat Kohli is an Indian cricketer who was born on November 5, 1988. He formerly captained the India national team in all formats, but stepped down as ODI captain in January 2022. As of July 2025, Kohli continues to play international cricket but no longer serves in a leadership role.

   This guy is a genius. I don't understand why there's so much hate for him. People say he has an attitude, but why shouldn't he? Cricket is a competitive game, and you can't always be polite, especially when the opposition is sledging you.

   The haters troll him, but he has won us more matches single-handedly than many players have even played in their entire careers.

   After his post-COVID downturn, the critics jumped at the chance to spread negativity about him. If you truly respect the spirit of the game, you understand that sometimes standing your ground is necessary. Just look back at what happened in Australia in 2014 and 2017.

   One of the rascal players. He has the most attitude and ego and never gets along with any other Indian player. And he fights even with Indian players. And his captaincy is one of the worst in this cricket era.

2. Arjuna Ranatunga

   The most irritating man in cricket history.

3. M.S. Dhoni

   Worst player in the universe, indeed! Selfish as hell. Abuses and gets angry, but still, his dumb fans think he is Captain Cool. Ghanta! He only survives in the Indian team because of his luck and nothing else. He destroyed many legendary careers like Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Kartik... and many more. Dhoni absolutely sucks!

   Dhoni is so selfish! All he cares about is being not out so his batting average looks good... India has lost countless games because of him. Dhoni sucks!

   Most selfish cricketer... Can't bat to save his life... Gave a long rope to his undeserving CSK teammates... Clearly involved in fixing when in CSK.

4. Geoffrey Boycott

5. Hansie Cronje

6. David Warner

   

   David Andrew Warner (born October 27, 1986) is an Australian former international cricketer who played as a left-handed opening batsman. He served as vice-captain of the Australian team in Tests and One Day Internationals from 2015 until his suspension in 2018. Warner retired from international cricket... read more

   Most idiotic cricketer of all time. What an idiot.

   As an Australian, I despise him.

7. Sourav Ganguly

   

   Sourav Chandidas Ganguly, affectionately known as Dada, is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national team. He is considered one of India's most successful cricket captains and later served as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Ganguly played a crucial... read more

   Never won an international trophy and still gets praised for his captaincy.

8. Ricky Ponting

   

   Ricky Thomas Ponting is an Australian cricket coach, commentator, and former international cricketer. He captained the Australian national team in its most successful era and is widely considered one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history. As of 2025, he serves as head coach of the Punjab Kings in... read more

   Terrible sportsman! He is definitely not a role model for youngsters by any stretch of the imagination.

   Even in retirement, he's arrogant, and I'm an Australian.

9. Douglas Jardine

   1932/33 Ashes series. Leg theory (Bodyline) may have been legal at the time, but it was unsportsmanlike.

10. Shahid Afridi

    

    Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi, widely known as Boom Boom, is a retired Pakistani cricketer. He played international cricket from 1996 to 2017 and was known for his aggressive batting and leg-spin bowling. Afridi famously held the record for the fastest century in One Day Internationals for nearly... read more

    He retires when he wants to trend. He was just selected in the Pakistan cricket team because they wanted someone younger than the Master Blaster, God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar!

    Worst human. Always talks negatively about Indian people.

    Most hated cricketer of all time in the history of cricket. Always gives pressure to Pakistan.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Greg Chappell

12. ?

    Salman Butt

    
The Contenders

13. Shoaib Akhtar

    

    Shoaib Akhtar is a Pakistani former cricketer and current cricket commentator. Nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, he is considered one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket. Akhtar represented Pakistan in all three formats of the game from 1997 until his retirement in 2011.

    Yeah, I thought he was the most arrogant. When he got Matt Hayden out years ago, he was carrying on like an imbecile.

    Ugliest face ever seen. My little cousin started crying, and finally, he got hit three sixes by a ten-year-old.

14. Inzamam-ul-Haq

15. Babar Azam

16. S. Sreesanth

    He is the most hated Indian cricketer because of his fixing in the IPL.

17. Hardik Pandya

    

18. Kamran Akmal

19. Javed Miandad

    Worst cricketer and worst personality.

20. Rohit Sharma

    

    Rohit Gurunath Sharma is an Indian international cricketer who plays as an opening batsman and captains the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. He has scored over 10,000 runs in international limited-overs formats and holds the record for the highest individual score in a One Day International... read more

    He is really over-confident for me. He has the most attitude in cricket.

    Too much over-attitude. Choked in important matches. He is not a big match player. I hate him.

21. Shane Warne

    

    Shane Keith Warne (September 13, 1969 - March 4, 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, widely regarded as one of the greatest leg-spin bowlers in the history of the sport. He took over 700 wickets in Test cricket and was a key figure in Australia's dominance in the late 1990s and early 2000s... read more

22. Marlon Samuels

    

23. Herschelle Gibbs

24. Yuvraj Singh

    

    Yuvraj Singh is a former Indian cricketer who played in all international formats, including Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. He rose to prominence during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and played a pivotal role in India's World Cup victory in 2011. In 2011, he was diagnosed with a rare germ-cell cancer but successfully... read more

25. Imran Khan

    

    Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born October 5, 1952) is a Pakistani politician, former cricketer, and philanthropist who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022. He is the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which he established in 1996. As of July 2025... read more

26. Sachin Tendulkar

    

    Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a former Indian cricketer and captain, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.

    He's the highest run-scorer in the history of international cricket and was the first player to score 100 international centuries. Tendulkar received the Bharat Ratna,... read more

    He is the best cricketer of all time, no doubt. Haters gonna hate.

27. Steve Smith

    

    Cheating is not a mistake. Cheating is deliberate. He and David Warner should have been banned for life. They are paid a disgusting amount of money to play a sport. Sport is not a job. It's recreation.

    So overrated and grossly overpaid. He was caught cheating and cried like a baby because he was caught.